Kouji's Revenge
by dragonsunlight
Summary: Takes place after 'Not The Bandanas.' After having to suffer Kouichi's wrath four months ago, Kouji decides it's time to plot something for revenge. Thus, the trio - at least Kouji - try to make Kouichi suffer in the midst of other problems. FINISHED
1. Plotting Begins Yet Again

Disclaimer-I do not own Digimon. Kouichi would die if I did. No...I mean he'd die of grief. I'd murder Kouji because of excessive 'torture,' though. Meaning...like...well, what I do in my fanfics.

Pre-Chapter A/N-Excuse me, but I would like to say that the Mr. Minamoto Bonus Chapters from _Not The Bandanas_ weren't part of the story, and thus aren't continued from there if anyone is confused, which I don't know if people are confused, but I think I would be.

* * *

And now, I, dragonsunlight, aka Kaea Sakurai, proudly present...

NOT THE BANDANAS 2-KOUJI'S REVENGE

Summary- (Sequel To _Not The Bandanas_) After having to suffer Kouichi's wrath four months ago, Kouji decides it's time to plot something for revenge. Thus, the troublesome trio do their best to make Kouichi suffer in the midst of problems which involve family, relationships and more...

* * *

Chapter 1- Plotting Begins...Again

* * *

"Do all great heroes suffer like we do after they save the world?" Takuya grumbled, licking his popsicle.

Kouji shrugged. "We saved two worlds. They save a city or two at most. Plus, for them it's a daily job, nota once in a lifetime thing."

"Point taken."

Kouji, Takuya and Junpei all sat outside Kouichi's house, all of them eating popsicles, as it was summer, and, to put it short, they were burning after all the work they had to do. Kouichi had made them clean up the front lawn.

"This sucks. Who put a lawn here, anyway?" Junpei muttered angrily.

"Kouichi," Kouji answered, finishing his popsicle.

Junpei huffed. "No wonder. I bet he did this to torture us!"

Before Kouji could reply that the lawn had always been there, someone else answered.

"Actually, I put it here so the place would look lively. Who gave _you_ three permission to slack, anyway?" Kouichi's cold voice came from the doorway as he threw the door open and glared down at his three 'slaves.'

With a sigh, the three picked themselves up. "What do we do now?" they all mumbled.

"Dishes, and clean the kitchen floor right after," came the response. "I'm going out, so no slacking, or you'll regret it," Kouichi warned before walking outside and shutting the door.

The troublesome trio sighed.

"This is all Kouji's fault for totally snapping out of it when Kouichi bought those stupid bandanas. You don't even wear them!" Takuya snapped, walking to the sink. "You two do the floor. I got the dishes."

Kouji grumbled and disappeared into the bathroom, coming out seconds later with two mops and a bucket filled with soapy water. "After I lied that Takuya got them for me, Dad told me not to wear them for anything other than special occasions. He even taped the boxes up again..."

"HMPH!" Junpei snorted, stuffing the mop in the water. "All this because we painted his room indigo."

"And broke a window, nearly killed the neighbor's cat, spent his unending reserve of money in the arcade and forgot to paint that pink spot indigo, thus ruining his room. He repainted it green last week," Kouji informed them, watching as Junpei began stabbing the floor with the mop angrily. _I'm glad I'm not the floor_, he thought, shivering. "Now, we're his chore boys until my birthday. And his birthday. Wonder what I should get him this year..."

"A punch machine," Junpei muttered.

"AHAHAHHA! Was that intended as a pun?" Kouji asked, grinning.

Junpei threw him a withering glare.

Takuya sighed as he began to rinse the dishes. "This sucks..."

Kouji nodded and muttered, "No kidding? We need a foolproof revenge plan."

"What? Burning Kouichi's hats?" Junpei asked.

"He's only got one," Kouji muttered, "and besides, he hid it."

"Why?"

"No clue..."

"Maybe cuz he knew we'd burn it if we found it?" Takuya suggested.

All of them sighed. As Takuya began putting the dishes into the dishwasher to dry, Kouji began going over the wet floor with a dry mop.

Five minutes later, they were done. Junpei and Kouji sat on the couch while Takuya leaned against the wall and faced the other two.

"Now what?" Junpei asked.

"I've got it!" Kouji yelled out of the blue, "We'll wait for school to start and initiate the plan then!"

Takuya shook his head and asked, "What plan? And who made _you_ leader, bandana boy?"

"I'm not the leader. You aren't either. Shut up, goggle boy, I'm thinking. We can't afford to paint his room or beat him up...well, even if we got him beaten up by a set up...he'd know it was us..."

Junpei continued listing from there. "We can't mess with tests or get him in trouble, because after that toilet incident two years ago...well, we're infamous to the teachers, so they'll think _we_ did it, anyway...so..."

Punching the palm of his other hand, Takuya nodded. "I agree. It's time to get tough!" he said, trying to think of a foolproof plan.

"I'm home, did you guys do everything?" Kouichi yelled as he walked in.

"MEEP! YESSIR!" Takuya yelled, saluting.

Shaking their heads, Kouji and Junpei muttered, "So much for tough..."

"Er, right. Did all of you get your school stuff?" Kouichi asked, raising an eyebrow at the still-saluting Takuya.

"Yep," Junpei said. "I gotta go. Uh, you _don't_ want to know why," he added, wincing when he saw Kouichi open his mouth.

"Right. Let me guess, Izumi?" Kouichi questioned.

Junpei winced once more and nodded. Izumi had dumped Takuya in a fit of rage and had made Junpei her new 'boyfriend' in order to make Takuya jealous and to make her feel triumphant. Takuya didn't mind _much_-after all, Junpei was the one getting tortured.

As soon as Junpei left, Kouichi returned his attention to the other two. "Takuya?"

"SIR YES, SIR!"

"Stop acting like you're in the military," Kouji groaned, whacking his own forehead, exasperated.

Takuya dropped his hand. "Ahaha...right. I just remembered, I promised to game with my little brother then take him to buy his supplies along with mine. I'll catch you two later," he said, dashing out the door.

"Dad's taking me today," Kouji said at last, marching to the door.

Before Kouji could make it out the door, Kouichi dragged him back. "Thanks for volunteering to go with me!" he said with mock enthusiasm as he slipped on his shoes and dragged his brother to the store.

* * *

"Kouichi..." Kouji said as they entered the shop.

No answer.

"Kouichi."

Nothing.

"Well, I told you I was going with dad, right?" Kouji continued. "Well, I'm supposed to meet him here..."

More silence.

"Er...Kouichi?"

"My life...you're determined to ruin it, aren't you?" Kouichi finally grumbled miserably, getting a cart and throwing in the supplies.

Kouji made a mental list of all his brother got. It was as follows-

Four pairs of scissors, eight jumbo glue sticks, three compasses, two protractors, twenty number 2 pencils, sixteen mechanical pencils, twenty black pens, twenty blue pens, twenty red pens, four packs of post-its, two packs of post-its flags, two white-out pens and a pack of color pencils.

_Does he go on a shopping craze when he's depressed?_ Kouji wondered, watching the pile grow.

"Gimme some money," Kouichi murmured with a sigh, holding his hand out.

Freezing, Kouji gulped. Digging a hand into his pocket, he said in a small voice, "I don't have my wallet..."

"You mean _I_ have to pay?" the older twin groaned, taking out his wallet.

Kouji nodded sheepishly before looking into the cart again. "Why do you have color pencils?"

"In my spare time, I draw. Which reminds me, I need new headphones..."

Sighing, Kouji followed his spaced out twin to the electronics section. "Kouichi, did you listen to what I said before?"

"You asked why I got color pencils."

"I meant before that."

"That you didn't have your wallet."

"BEFORE ALL THAT!"

"I don't care," Kouichi lied, acting perfectly normal as he threw the headphones into the card. _Not that much. Why should I? Kouji's the one who can leave anytime…I don't…care,_ Kouichi told himself.

"O…kay…" Kouji replied, eying a strategy guide for Final Fantasy X. Smirking, he picked it up and whacked his twin over the head with it.

Kouichi glared. "What was that for?"

"Don't lie to me," snapped Kouji, whacking Kouichi again.

Snatching the strategy guide and putting it back, Kouichi muttered, "I'm not. Much, anyway."

As they walked to the check out lane, Kouji began to sing, "Liar," in a loud voice, over and over again.

The clerk eyed the two. "Twins?" he asked Kouji

With a sigh, Kouichi shook his head. "He's not my real brother. My _real_ twin disappeared sometime ago. The off-tune singing is coming from this imposter," he said calmly as he waved to Kouji.

Chuckling, the man scanned all the items and gave Kouichi the bill. Handing the clerk the money, Couch took the bill and loaded the bags in the cart, walking outside and not bothering to wait for Kouji.

"Heeey! What about me!" Kouji yelled, running after his twin.

"Dad's here, isn't he?" Couch asked, pushing the cart into the cart lane after taking out the bags. "Shop with him." Quietly, Kouichi headed back home.

Clenching his fists, Kouji glared at his brother's retreating figure. After they had gotten so close, Kouichi kept drifting further and further away. _Maybe he's just being too mature for me_, Kouji thought.

9th grade would definitely be hell.

* * *

That evening, when Kouji came home after running through the store five times over, looking for his father, he was met by his stepmother at the door. Cringing, he asked somewhat stiffly, "Uh, hi, Mom. Where's Dad?" It was becoming a tad difficult calling two people 'Mom.'

Mrs. Minamoto frowned at him. "Kouji, why didn't you meet your father at the store?" she demanded.

Kouji tried to think of something to say with out including Kouichi into it directly. "I, uh, was hanging out with the guys," he lied lamely, looking at his shoes and trying to look sheepish so she wouldn't get suspicious.

His father came out of his room with a sigh. "You could have called us…" Mr. Minamoto murmured in a disapproving voice.

"I-I know…" _Dang…acting guilty is so hard…_

"Kouji, you're going to high school. You need to be more responsible," his stepmother pressed.

Involuntarily, Kouji twitched, his eyes flashing at his shoes. _I am so freaking lucky I'm looking down,_ he thought. "I know," he said out loud.

"I bought your things," his father informed him, "and they're in your room. What time is it, anyway?"

"Almost dinner time," Mrs. Minamoto answered.

Another twitch

A frown appeared on his father's face. "You were out later than usual, Kouji. The days are shortening…"

That was his father's manner of speaking. Always saying one point, then saying something else that had something to do with it, but was completely random. _Either that, or he's just tired again,_ Kouji thought observantly.

Before the adults could say anything more, Kouji announced, "I'm going to sleep. School starts in a week. I might as well break my sleeping in habit…" He walked into his room and slammed the door shut, then fell back on his bed and closed his eyes.

Of all the things in the world to be messed up, why did it have to be his family? His father and stepmother treated him like he was three again, his mother was hardly around, and his own _twin brother_ had turned him into a _slave_ until their birthday.

_Must have gotten it from Dad's side_, Kouji thought, looking at the boxes of bandanas Kouichi had gotten him four months ago. Yes, for four months, he, Takuya and Junpei suffered the fate of being Kouichi slaves. The 'contract' Kouichi had drawn up was until the twins' birthday.

"My family's nuts. Is Mom the only sane one?" he muttered, going to his desk and sitting down. With a sigh, he flipped the family picture of his father, stepmother and himself to reveal his mother, Kouichi and himself, which had been taken a month after they had saved both the real and digital world.

Quietly, Kouji rose from the chair and turned off the light. As he climbed into bed, he muttered, "Some family…"

* * *

A/N-

TADA! I'M BACK! .:hugs you all:. And this time, they're in for much more than just bandana burning and room painting…There's gonna be a whole world of trouble. What with school starting and all that, I decided to put them in 9th grade and see how they fare with that. .:grins evilly:. And, in future A/N's, the twins and everyone else will make star appearances while I go sleep.

Kouichi says I'm lazy.

SO WHAT? Oh, thank you all for the reviews in _Not The Bandanas_. I had a lot of fun reading them.

Reviews from NOT THE BANDANAS, MR. MINAMOTO BONUS CHAPTER 5-

**TALA MINE-TALA HOT**- .:eyes widen:. S-scaring me? Who said you were scaring me? .:laughs nervously:. Anyway, how's the sequel? To your liking?

**bisc**- Seriously? I didn't like it. Oh well…but I'm glad people actually liked it. I was too afraid people would think it didn't make sense…

**Broken Angel01**- Yeah, I noticed. Heh. Don't worry about not reviewing! I'm glad you did in the end! .:grins:.

**AidoruForever**- Takuya would be whacked endlessly by Izumi if she whacked him for every second he was stupid. Did you like the first chapter of _Not The Bandanas 2_? Or did I go a bit too fast…?

**Lady Darkand Light**- .:laughs:. Here's the sequel! I'm glad you enjoyed the first _Not The Bandanas_ so much!

**The Light's Refrain**- Yeah, the ending in Chapter Five was better, wasn't it? I didn't like the Mr. Minamoto version. Which is why I rewrote it. Kouji gets to be Kouichi's slave until their birthday! Fun!

**ClearBueMemoryz**- New reviewer! Yeah! .:cheers for new reviewers:. I'm glad you liked it.

**Mid-Moonlight**- I believe Kouichi is relieved. Hmm…and the verdict is…still unknown. Oh well!

Kouichi states that he is beyond relieved. He is _saved_.

.:whacks him with shoe:. Hardly. Stop laughing, Kouji, or I'll hit you, too!

**Mitsuko Kyuhara**- O.O You're kidding…there are _much_ funnier stories out there! Just visit your local library. Gods, I feel like a TV commercial by saying that….:grins:. Glad you thought it's hilarious, though! And that you liked it!

**Luisa Perez**- I sent you an e-mail. Go ahead and send the story whenever you want. How's the sequel? To your liking, I hope!

**Melly**- Kouichi's a pyromaniac! .:gasps:. We discovered something new! And I guess…Kouji's naturally stupid? .:grins:.

**MattTobiasMalfoy**- Really! Wow, I'm happy you all loved the bonus chapters! I was worried you'd think they were stupid. .:laughs:. Did you like the sequel's first chapter?

**Wouldn't you like to know XD**- .:laughs:. Poor Takuya…I _told_ him it was funniness…oh well.

Kouichi states there is no remedy to cure Takuya's stupidity.

Kouji agrees.

Kouichi points out there is no remedy for Kouji's stupidity, either.

Kouji's hurt. But who cares! Heehee…just kidding, Kouji.

Light's Blue Blossom- Ahh! Sequel's up! How'd you like it? Is it just as funny? .:grins:. I shall update soon!

Review, all of you, please, because…Kouji says that I'm still torturing him.


	2. Grounded, The Miserable Meeting

Disclaimer- This is Kouichi speaking. Dragonsunlight (Kaea), does not own Digimon. If she did, I'd be dead. Meaning I'd suicide. I should, seeing the way she treats me in the story…

* * *

Grounded…The Miserable Meeting

* * *

"I don't know…but you can't blame him, really, can you?"

"It doesn't matter. He should have told us!"

"Oh, stop being stupid. You never wanted them to meet! Did you ever consider _his_ feelings?"

"He has to understand that some things are best left untold!"

"Have you noticed him looking at that picture in his room? He stares at it endlessly. You saw, he put his mother in the frame behind. You can't blame him. And now that he knows her, do you really think it's right to pry them apart? He has every right to know her!"

"I'm not going on with this discussion," Kouji heard his father say abruptly as he lay awake the next morning. After all, with all that yelling right outside his room, who else but Takuya and Junpei could fall asleep?

Getting out of bed, Kouji rubbed his eyes. It would be another day of torture and slaving away with his brother laughing behind his back…

"KOUJI! You're _grounded_," his father yelled, throwing the door open.

Kouji's eyes widened. He'd preferred slaving away. "WHAT?" _I am so lucky I have my cell phone under my pillow…_

The door slammed shut and Kouji heard the adults argue some more.

_Adults_, Kouji thought, rolling his eyes. He was grounded. Kouji was grounded. He looked at his desk and saw the picture frame knocked astray. _All this because of a picture?_ he wondered, picking up the frame and setting it right. _My family isn't nuts. It's insane._

* * *

After both his parents left for work around seven, later than usual, Kouji snuck to the kitchen to get breakfast. After making some toast, horribly, too, one might add, Kouji put the toast on a plate, put the plate on the table, and ran to his room and picked up his cell phone. Quickly, he dialed Kouichi's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kouichi…Dad grounded me."

Silence. Then, "Why?"

"Remember that picture of both of us and Mom? Well, I…uh…Dad saw it…"

Again, silence.

"I guess it was Dad, then," Kouji chuckled, guessing the reason for their parents' divorce.

Finally, Kouichi let out a sigh. "Alright. Tomorrow, then, if we get lucky. Oh-wait one sec. Someone's at the door."

Kouji waited impatiently as he heard Kouichi open the door.

Then…dead silence.

"KOUICHI, THE PERSON AT THE DOOR ISN'T A MURDERER, IS IT! Of course, if you died-no…wait…you _are_ alive, right!" the younger twin asked, bouncing on his bed, the toast all forgotten.

"It's…nothing. Call me later," Kouichi said at last, his tone rigid and cold.

Confused, Kouji complied. "Later, then." _Wonder what happened there…_

* * *

Kouji spent eleven completely boring hours at home, aimlessly walking around, watching T.V., but of course, there was nothing interesting on, going on the computer and staring at it for a solid minute before calling Takuya. After talking to Takuya about a video game the goggle-headed boy couldn't beat for over an hour, he tried calling Kouichi again, but there was no answer.

After that, at precisely 6 P.M., his parents walked in, calm expressions on their faces.

"Am I ungrounded?" Kouji asked hopefully, realizing neither of them were bothering to talk.

Mr. Minamoto shook his head. "We're going out for dinner. We have…guests meeting us."

The bandana head shrugged. "Ok." _Just another boring meeting I have to sit through. More like sleep through_, his brain sang.

"And take off that bandana for at least once, please," his stepmother begged.

Quietly, Kouji disappeared into his room and came out wearing a plain black bandana instead. "Better?" _I like _blue _better…_

She nodded and went to change.

_What the hell is so important that I gotta change bandanas!_ Kouji thought grumpily, sitting on the Kouichi with his arms folded until his father yelled, "KOUJI! CHANGE INTO YOUR SUIT!"

Life _really_ wasn't being fair to him.

* * *

As soon as Kouji stepped out of the car, he knew something was definitely up. And it wasn't the scratchy stupid suit he was wearing.

_I don't wanna move! No! Wait, what if I'm sent to _boarding_ school! THEY WOULDN'T!_ he panicked, gulping as he followed his parents to the front of the fancy French restaurant he hated-abhorred, _despised_. Every time they came here, Kouji ended up starving due to the inedible food.

"You're in a suit too? And I thought _I_ was going to be embarrassed alone," a familiar voice scoffed.

Kouji turned around with wide eyes, seeing Kouichi in a suit and their mother, smiling. "W-wait…no. Why are _you_ two here!" he asked, alarmed.

"Hello, Kouji," Miss Kimura said with a crooked smile on her face. "I heard you got grounded…"

"For a stupid reason," Kouichi muttered under his breath. Aloud, he stated. "You're wearing a new bandana…"

The bandana boy nodded. As they walked into the restaurant, Mr. Minamoto ordered a table for five, and as they were being led to their tables, Kouji edged over to his brother and asked in a whisper, "What happened when you opened the door?"

"_Him_."

"Oh…" he murmured, taking a seat between his father and twin.

Kouichi flashed a look at his mother, who just closed her eyes and waited. "Want a candy bar?" he whispered to Kouji, holding out a bar of chocolate. "I hate restaurants…"

Gratefully, Kouji accepted it, hiding the candy under the table and carefully unwrapping it.

"Kouichi!"

Wincing, Kouichi looked around for a place to hide before jumping out of his seat. "I-I'm going to the bathroom!" he said quickly, dashing away.

Kouji snickered and looked up at the speaker, who was examining him. "Uh-What the? I was _sure_ Kouichi was antisocial-especially when it came to girls…!"

"You're…Kouji, right?" the girl in front of him asked finally, standing straight and placing her hands on her hips.

He nodded, wondering exactly who she was. _Oh well…she's cute. That's a plus…I hope. Wait…what was I thinking again?_

"Oh well. Hi Miss Kimura!" she said, sitting in Kouichi's seat.

Miss Kimura smiled. "Hello, Kako. How are you doing? More over…_what_ are you doing?"

"My big annoying brother works here. I'm volunteering," Kako replied, returning the smile. Jumping up when she saw Mr. and Mrs. Minamoto, she cleared her throat. "Erm, sorry for being so rude. I'm Kako. Er…so did you get menus or did they not get passed out…?"

"They didn't get passed out," Mr. Minamoto informed her. "Are you…Kouichi's girlfriend?"

Kako choked for a brief second. "G-Girlfriend? Uh…no…n-no…at least, not the last time _I_ checked…we're just…really close friends? I dunno. Maybe…" she replied, shuffling away a bit.

Everyone but Miss Kimura stared.

"How can you not know!" Kouji finally asked, completely baffled.

"KAKO! WHERE ARE THE MENUS!" came a yell.

Laughing uneasily, Kako quickly said, "Ask Kouichi. Lemme get those menus, sorry," she apologized. Sighing, the girl headed to the back of the restaurant.

Seconds later, Kouichi came back, slumping into his seat with a sigh.

"Hey, Kouichi, was that your girlfriend?" Kouji asked teasingly with a grin.

With a growl, Kouichi snapped, "NO." After a pause, he shifted in his seat, turning red. "Uhm, er…no…"

_CLUELESS_, Kouji thought, slapping his forehead. "I thought you were Mr. Anti-social."

"SHE bugs ME," Kouichi retorted, folding his arms as he leaned back in his seat and looked away.

"BACK!" Kako sang, passing out menus to everyone and hitting Kouichi over the head with his menu before handing it to him. "Meanie. I pity you, Kouji, for being his twin. Really, he's so pathetic."

"Huh? Whaddya mean?" Kouji asked, making a face at the menu when he finally decided there was nothing edible on it.

Kako snorted, seeing Kouichi turn a deeper shade of red and try to cover his face. "He's perfectly smart, he even sings well. And then he just sulks away in a corner reading a vocab book and trying to be invisible. I swear! You two should switch attitudes or something…"

"NO WAY!" Kouichi yelled, glaring. "Kouji sings off-tune. _And_ he can't even cook," Kouichi said, making a face as he edged away from the two. _The perfect partners in crime... _

"That is true...the cooking, I mean. Takuya's worse! I mean, during the burger competition in the Burgermon's village, _I_ should have won with my awesome Rainbow Burger!"

Everyone stared at Kouji.

"Burger competition? When was this?" Mrs. Minamoto asked her husband.

"Shortly before Kouichi and I met," Kouji answered.

Kako stuck her tongue out. "Rainbow burger," she commented. "What an original name. I pity the Burgermon. They must've been horrified of you and Takuya."

Kouji glared and Mr. Minamoto wondered aloud, "What's a Burgermon?"

The three teens fell silent. While Kouichi kept his cool, Kouji and Kako began to cough violently.

Another waiter passed by their table, filling all their glasses with water and throwing a glare at Kako.

Miss Kimura looked at her sons. "Kouichi...Kouji..." she said gently, "what _is_ a Burgermon?"

"It's the name of-uh...the people who host the burger competition my cousin made up," Kako said, laughing uneasily.

"Cousin?" Kouji repeated.

"Yes. Izumi's my cousin."

Kouji blinked, staring at Kako. She had long black hair and brown eyes instead of blond hair like Izumi. "I see _no_ resemblance."

Kako muttered, offended, "We're quite distant." Aloud, she asked Mr. Minamoto, "Have you decided what to order?"

After ordering for himself and his wife, Mr. Minamoto added, "Add a drink with all that, for me."

"No," Miss Kimura interjected. "Don't teach those two to drink..." Her gaze lingered on the twins.

Kouichi sighed in relief while Kouji blinked and asked, "Did I miss something?"

"Yeah," Kouichi muttered so only Kouji could hear, "you left your brain in the Digital World."

"Ouch," Kako commented quietly. "Miss Kimura?"

"Truthfully, just reading the menu makes me lose my appetite," Miss Kimura confessed, an apologetic smile on her face.

Shrugging, Kako replied with a laugh, "I know what you mean. Want to try my ultra special chocolate surprise instead?"

Kouji raised his hand. "As long as Takuya didn't make it!" he declared.

"Don't be stupid. She said it was _her_ ultra special whatseveritis. Well, chocolate sounds good," Kouichi said, closing his eyes.

"We'll take three, thanks, Kako," Miss Kimura laughed.

"Alright!" After writing the last of the orders down, Kako walked off.

"Yes! Chocolate!" Kouji breathed out loud in relief, throwing his arms in the air, then resting his forehead on the edge of the table.

Kouichi, on the other hand, kept quiet as he opened his eyes and stared at the plate in front of him rather menacingly.

"So, then, I guess we should start discussing why we're here," Mr. Minamoto said, clearing his throat and looking at his wife hesitantly.

She gave him an encouraging smile and patted his arm. "Go on, dear."

Miss Kimura stared at her glass of water before picking it up and sipping it calmly.

Kouji stared at his father, a questioning look on his face, while Kouichi stared right into his father's eyes with a piercing glare.

Clearing his throat a second time, Mr. Minamoto looked at his ex-wife, then Kouichi. Drawing a breath, he said, "I think it's best if we drop all contact again."

* * *

A/N-

Kouichi here. Kaea's nuts. This is what she said-  
'CURSE THE DARN CLIFFHANGERS! THEY MUST DIE! .:stomps on cliff hangers...even though they're abstract and not concrete:.'

Anyway, Kaea's got a headache and her hands hurt from typing so much. Haha, serves her right for trying to make me suffer. Why can't she just torture Kouji! WHY DO I HAVE TO SUFFER! I'd curse, but that's not exactly my style, so please, review and tell me that you don't want me to be tortured. PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU-well...not really _begging_, but pleading. Oh, Kaea answered reviews below. I'll be answering the next batch. .:yawns:. Kaea's making spelling mistakes...lots of them. .:raises an eyebrow:. ACHEM...SOMEONE ought to use SPELL CHECK. .:cough:. Kaea…

REVIEWS-

**Luisa Perez-** Nice! Tell me when you post it!

**Light's Blue Blossom-** Er, thanks for the warning, but it doesn't say on the site…so, until it does, I think I'll take my chances and review to your reviews. .:grin:. But thanks anyway!

**Mid-Moonlight**- Awww…how pathetic. You idiot twins ought to stop fighting.

Kouichi replies that they don't fight.

Kouji mutters that he's just the smarter twin and Kouichi's jealous.

Kouichi lunges at Kouji.

I TOLD YOU NOT TO FIGHT. I'll be updating soon! Oh, there will be some romance. .:snickers:. Very unexpected romance.

…seriously, people, back to Kouichi, in case you didn't know. I mean, only three reviews? Well, Kaea doesn't care, but she's stupid. She made twenty errors, somewhere in there! You should have flamed…Don't tell her I said that.

Kouichi out. I need my sleep. Good thing my room isn't pink anymore...Review, please.


	3. To Part Or Not To Part?

Disclaimer-Kouji's taking over. YEAH! Kaea doesn't own Digimon, though it's a wish...that won't be fulfilled, unfortunately. Too bad there's no real Santa. PLEASE tell me I didn't just say that to Santa Claus believers...if I did, I feel bad. Then again, I'm Kouji. Why would I feel bad! Oh...it's because I'm Kouji...this just doesn't make sense...

* * *

To Part, Or Not To Part? That Can't Be The Question...

* * *

_'I think it's best if we drop all contact again,' he said. What a stupid dad_, Kouichi thought as he said, "No," and folded his arms while looking out the glass wall.

Miss Kimura was surprised by the sudden abruptness of the whole matter. "Kouichi..."

"I agree. No way!" Kouji snapped, completely serious for the first time in quite a while. _How else will I get my revenge? _

"Kouji, you can find plenty of other people to talk t-" Mrs. Minamoto began.

"That's _not_ the point!" Kouji snapped again. "He's my _twin_."

"We're brothers. We're family. Plus, he's still my slave until our birthday," Kouichi added calmly.

The adults fell into another silence.

"Slave?" their father repeated, shooting a questioning glance at his ex-wife.

Their mother shrugged and smiled. "I'm busy most of the week, but I suppose the pink stains in Kouji's room would explain it all."

Kouji's father then cast a stern look at Kouji. "You said you were staying over at a friend's house."

The boy merely shrugged and replied, "No duh. Kouichi equals brother, twin, family, friend. Hey! It's like an equation. And I thought I stunk at math. Oh, and until our birthday, I suppose master, as well."

Kouichi snorted. "It wouldn't be the latter if you hadn't tried painting my room _pink_," he snapped.

Before the argument continued, a plate of chocolate, whipped cream, ice cream, chocolate syrup and other sugary items found its way in front of Kouji. "Eat, don't argue," said Kako, handing Kouichi and his mother a similar plate.

Miss Kimura laughed. "Thank you Kako. Oh, I feel like a kid again!"

"Bon appetite!" Kouji yelled before stuffing his face.

Kouichi picked up his spoon and stared at Kako, his mother, and then Kouji. Raising an eyebrow at his twin, his gaze returned to his food. "Yeah...bon appetite..." he mumbled, sticking the spoon in the food and stabbing it repeatedly. _A good thing I'm not so insane to imagine it's Dad... _

Kako disappeared and returned with Mr. and Mrs. Minamoto's food. "Enjoy," she said, walking away and raising an eyebrow at Kouichi, who was still stabbing his food, rather violently now. _Is he so insane that he's imagining it's his dad?_ she thought, wincing a bit as she entered the kitchen.

Kouji made a face at his parents' food before he continued eating.

Deciding he was bored and not hungry, Kouichi dipped a finger in his glass of water, then circled the rim of the glass, emitting a small ringing sound, similar to chimes in the breeze.

"AWESOME! I WANNA TRY!" Kouji exclaimed, grabbing his glass.

Rolling his eyes as he watched his twin fail again and again, Kouichi snapped, "You're being too rough. Put the glass back on the _table_, idiot. And your fingers are too wet. Now they're too dry. There, that's perfect." Watching as Kouji barely circled his finger on the rim, the boy sighed. "Kouji, rub it _gently_ on the glass, but not _that_ gently. You should feel your finger vibrate. Yeah," said Kouichi, nodding, "you got it."

Grinning, Kouji went back to his food. _Another way to annoy Kouichi. My 'Master Plan' shall be concocted soon!_ he thought, scarfing down the food.

Mr. Minamoto sighed impatiently. "It's too hard if they keep meeting each other!" he snapped.

"It was fine before this. Stop acting like a child," Miss Kimura replied gently, sipping her water.

"Kouji comes home after _five_. His curfew is _before_ five."

"Kouichi pops in and out. You don't see me complaining. If you're going to make a big deal out of it, do it when Kouji's been out until after midnight."

"If you let your son out that late, maybe you need to rethink your position as his mother," Mrs. Minamoto returned, sipping her own glass of water.

Kouichi stood up, angrily clenching his fists. "_You're_ one to talk!"

"Kouichi!" Miss Kimura murmured sharply, getting agitated.

"My mother took care of me my entire life without anyone to help her. It took the _both_ of you to take care of Kouji, and he turned out to be a loner. Not even once did you even bother considering how _he_ felt knowing his mother was out there, but he couldn't see her. And just when he actually meets her, you decide to try to tear him apart. Well it isn't that easy!" Kouichi yelled, ignoring the stares he was receiving. Turning around, he walked off, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Kouji stood up as well. "He's right. In truth, I find my being grounded and this meeting a total waste of time," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets as Kouichi had done, then walking after his twin.

* * *

"What are you doing here, Takuya?" Kouichi asked as he walked outside and saw a familiar goggle head.

Takuya shrugged. "Ask my parents."

Sighing, Kouichi sat down by Takuya and leaned against the wall, looking up at the darkening sky.

"GAH! _Takuya_ could cook better than that place! What a stupid idea, Junpei!" Izumi's voice yelled. She stopped outside the door and saw the two boys. "Hey! Takuya, Kouichi!" she exclaimed, walking over to them with a depressed Junpei behind her. She smiled and teased, "What are you two doing? Went out but the girls ditched you?"

Kouichi shut his eyes. "No, but I wish. That sounds better than the real reason. Plus, I'd be the ditcher in that case."

Kouji came running out. "NO, TOMOKI! I DON'T HAVE ANY CHOCOLATE! STAY AWAY!"

Tomoki followed him a second later, tears streaming down his face. "Kouichi, do you have any chocolate? I ate something _disgusting_ in there..."

"The gang's all here. Joy," Kouichi muttered, tossing Tomoki a chocolate bar.

"GAH! YEAH! Well the food here is STUPID! IT'S NOT MY FAULT THAT THE STUPID SNAILS GOT COVERED IN CHOCOLATE SYRUP!" screamed Kako as she stomped out. Seeing the other six, she laughed uneasily.

"Hey! I thought you went to Tokyo for the year, Kako!" Izumi said, smiling, but still surprised.

Kako shook her head. "Nope. Idiot brother got the stupid job here and I decided to help the poor customers out. Hey...Kouichi, are you okay?" she asked, walking over to him and sitting down.

Kouji snorted and leaned against the wall beside Kako. "You saw. Dad's thinking of separating the family again," he informed them.

Everyone but the twins gasped.

Kako frowned. "But you'd see each other at school, wouldn't you?"

"Unless Dad makes me switch schools too, yeah."

"You guys don't need to bother. It's family business. And it won't happen," Kouichi said at last, opening his eyes. "Not unless Lucemon returns as a flying pig."

Kouji sighed. "They're coming out..."

Mr. And Mrs. Minamoto came out and looked at Kouji. "Let's go," his father said at last, heading to the car.

"No."

"What?" his father asked, turning around, surprised with the rebellious act.

Kouji stood rooted to the spot. "I'm not going to _not_ meet Mom and Kouichi. They're family," said Kouji, folding his arms and glaring.

Tomoki whispered to Izumi, "I bet he stole that line from Kouichi."

"HEY!" growled Kouji.

"Kouichi." Miss Kimura came out, a tired look on her face. "Let's go."

Nodding, Kouichi stood up. "See you guys later, I guess. I'll go rip up the contract," he said, walking off behind his mother. _Actually, I'll just keep it for the memory... _

Kouji's jaw dropped. "Wh-wh-no way!" he yelled. _What about my revenge! _

Takuya and Junpei traded surprised looks. Jumping to his feet, Takuya looked at Mr. Minamoto. "All due respect and stuff, but they're _twins_. That's...evil! You're breaking four years of bonding apart!" he argued.

"Some family you are!" Izumi snorted. "Let's go Junpei! Wanna stay over at my house, Kouji?"

"N-no thanks...I'll be fine, Izumi. I think..." Kouji said in a barely audible voice.

Worried, Izumi waked away, occasionally throwing looks of concern over her shoulder as she did.

Takuya looked at Tomoki who stared at the cement ground in front of him. "Kouji, you sure you're okay? You look...spaced out..."

Indeed, Kouji was spaced out. He continued to stare at where Kouichi had left, deaf to everything Takuya had said.

"Uh...man, I think he just died," Takuya groaned, scratching the back of his neck while the other rested on his hip.

Tomoki nodded in agreement. Looking up and holding out his candy bar, he asked, "Hey, Kouji, want chocolate?"

No answer.

"Kouji, let's go home," Mr. Minamoto said once more, firmly as he turned around.

"You're all missing _ONE_ important part," Kako said dryly. "Mr. Minamoto never said whether or not they wouldn't see each other."

"OH! I KNEW THAT!" Takuya yelled, turning red and banging his head against the wall at his stupidity.

"Oh...right," Kouji said, turning red and looking at his dad. "Are we not going to?" _Damn, I was outsmarted by a girl... _

With a sigh, his father replied grumpily, "You can still see them."

"YEAH!" Kouji cheered, jumping up and down.

"She's still persuasive. I guess that's how she got to keep Kouichi..." Mr. Minamoto muttered as Kouji continued cheering all the way to the car. "But Kouichi's mature. And Kouji's..." Shaking his head, Kouji's father said nothing more on the matter.

* * *

A/N-

It's Kouji again! I know this chapter is short, but I'm afraid Kaea's going to have to cut it here. Instead, she'll be updating tomorrow, so you'll be able to read more then! And if she _doesn't_ update tomorrow...Takuya's going to be marching around and singing some song she hates. I wonder what song that is...:scratches head:. And...don't tell Kouichi I said this...but he's stupid! I'm the _real_ smarter twin. .:innocent grin:. Kaea says review please. She made tons of spelling mistakes. Oh, Kouichi answered reviews, being the meanie he is, so I answer the next batch! Yeah! .:cheers:. Cheer with me, people! No more Kouji torturing! NO MORE KOUJI TORTURING! .:sings in an off-tune voice:. Kouichi's a stupid idiotic twin, Kouichi's a stupid idiotic twin...

REVIEWS (ANSWERED BY KOUICHI)-

**Lady Hikari-Yami**- Very good. At least someone liked it. I mean, seriously, with all the spelling errors, you'd think Kaea'd get flamed instead? You changed your name. .:grin:. Nice. Oh yeah, Kaea being the stupid idiot she is will now send the two chapters she promised to send ages ago. .:cough:. She forgot.

**Mid-Moonlight**- .:wide eyes:. Seriously, I'm not THAT violent…I hope. No, Kouji, you can't say anything. GO AWAY! .:starts pushing Kouji away:. I have the stupidest brother ever. Please, agree with me. Oh, and Kaea wanted me to add that there's not gonna be that much hatred…she just plans to make Kouji and me suffer. And Kako's not my girlfriend.

.:Kouji runs in and yells:. YES SHE IS!

NO SHE ISN'T!

**Luisa Perez**- .:laughs:. I believe Marvin is worse than Kouji. Kouji being Kouji, and all…he's pretty bad…unless he decides to be nice on rare days. But usually, that's when he finds out that I'm buying him bandanas or chocolate or something…so really, he's hardly ever sincerely nice. Good luck with your fanfics!

**Light's Blue Blossom**- Yeah, evil Mr. Minamoto…strange. Having an evil dad. Hm…I wonder if Kaea can write a fanfic off of that idea? I can. That just makes me think…Kouji would suck being a dad…then again, I suppose I would….:remembers the incident with the digi-eggs:. Ehehe…er, thanks for the review!

**UshiRamen**-…Kaea would like to answer this one….:Kouichi walks off, turning red:.

I SO AGREE! I MEAN, KOUICHI IS SO FREAKING AWESOME! He's like…the best part of the story! And yeah…Kako creeps Kouichi out too. XP You're right…not enough people like Kouichi. Well, too bad for them! That's about to change! .:laughs evilly:.

.:Back to Kouichi:. In other words, Kaea says thanks for reviewing…and…er…that I'm awesome? Jeez, this is awkward. Thanks…I guess.

**TALA MINE-TALA HOT**- Indeed. Losing contact would suck. Actually, not talking to a very OOC brother would be kinda nice….:thinks about it:. But then again, there would be no one to torture, so I guess that would suck, too. Oh, and Kaea's scared of you. She just doesn't want to admit it. I better run before she finds out I said that….:runs off:.

**The Light's Refrain**- .:grin:. Well, Kaea's got lots of insanity planned…unfortunately, I'm suffering too…:frown:. Oh well. But yeah, she just figured that it's the 'busy' season for Digimon fics, and so she's trying to make sure people who want to read this fic can find it…which involves uploading and deleting chapters…lots of them…she's insane. Well, Kouichi out. Have fun reading.

**Kouji's Only Girl**- .:stares:. Thank you for flaming Kaea. Er…or attempting to. Anyway, she cracked up reading all of your reviews. Keep in mind she was half asleep before she did. So now she's wide-awake. And she hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I NEED PEOPLE ON MY SIDE! WHY DOES EVERYONE SIDE WITH KOUJI! .:stomps off:.

.:Back to Kouji:. And that was Kouichi answering reviews! Boy, doesn't he suck? .:grins:. I can do better! Just watch me! If you want ME to answer your review, just review! Oh, come on, I know you want me to! AND I CAN MAKE A BETTER BURGER THAN TAKUYA!

ER…Review, please.


	4. School Starts

Disclaimer- Hey! It's Takuya and you're reading 'Not The Bandanas 2-Kouji's Revenge.' I have a question...WHY CAN'T IT BE 'NOT THE BANDANAS 2-TAKUYA'S REVENGE!' WHY! Achem, Kaea does not own Digimon, but she wishes she does. Well, since Kako's not part of Digimon, Kaea owns Kako's character. That's all.

* * *

School Starts. Revenge Unfolds In The Strangest Ways

* * *

"Kouiiiiiiiiichiiiiiiii!" Kouji yelled, skipping over to his twin. 

Silently, Kouichi kept walking.

Kouji stared at his brother, confused by his not answering. "Hey, guess what! I got ungrounded!"

Nothing.

"Aaaaaaah! HEY KOUICHI! GUESS WHAT!" a familiar voice yelled.

Kouji turned around just in time to see Kako run past him and jump, throwing her arms around Kouichi's neck.

Making choking sounds, Kouichi stumbled for a bit, trying to pry Kako's hands away before regaining his balance. "Get. Off. Me," he growled, yanking on her hands. "You're killing my backpack..."

Jumping down, Kako giggled. "But we're in the same class!"

"That makes the three of us," Kouji remarked with a smirk.

Kouichi groaned and went to the wall by his classroom, banging his head against it repeatedly. "Why? WHY!"

"He hates us that much?" Kako asked, scratching her head with a perplexed look on her face.

"Why? I can't have peace or quiet for a second! Either Kouji's bugging me about some stupid joke or Kako has news or Takuya steals Kouji's things...NEVER QUIET! I NEVER GET PEACE AND QUIET! I CAN'T EVEN STAY INVISIBLE FOR A SECOND!" he screamed, banging his head harder.

Kako winced and dragged him away from the wall. "Uh...why don't we go inside...?" she suggested, doing her best to prevent Kouichi from whacking his head against the wall.

_This is about as good as revenge_, Kouji thought, grinning.

As they entered the classroom, Kouichi froze as he saw Takuya and Izumi talking to Junpei and decided to bang his head against the wall some more.

Takuya blinked. "Is he okay?" asked the goggle head, staring at Kouichi.

"Fine," Kouji remarked, still grinnning. "I got a new partner in crime, though," he laughed, motioning to Kako.

"HEY! UWAAAAh! NO WAY!" Kako exclaimed indignantly.

"Yes way," Kouichi replied, sitting in a seat as far away from the rest of them as possible.

"Waaah! Kouichi, you're supposed to be on my side!" she whined, slamming her hands on his desk. "Stop being mean!"

Izumi laughed as Kako slumped over to her. "That's my cousin!"

Kouji cringed. "I still can't believe you two are cousins."

"SHUT UP!" they yelled in unison, hitting Kouji over the head.

Snickering, Junpei muttered to Junpei, "I can."

Junpei blinked and looked around the classroom. All around, there were groups of excited students gathering together and chatting lively. He sighed, depressed. "You guys have such a noisy class. My class is so quiet," grumbled the older boy before sulking out of the room.

"HAVE FUN DOING YOUR TENTH GRADE WORK!" Izumi yelled, laughing.

Kako blinked, watching Junpei exit the room. "That was interesting," she commented, walking over to Kouichi's desk once more.

"Go away," Kouichi groaned, crossing his arms on the desk and using them as pillows.

"No."

"I need sleep," he whined in return.

Kouji snickered. "Were you up past midnight again?" he asked, remembering what their mother had said at the restaurant meeting the previous week.

"No," Kouichi snapped rudely, jerking his head up, "I was trying not to be careless like you and _forget_ anything!"

"What?"

Seeing the clueless face his brother had put on, Kouichi snapped even more testily, "How do you plan to carry home all the papers they hand out?"

The other twin paled considerably. "You mean I didn't bring my backpack?" he asked in a small voice.

"NO," returned Kouichi rudely as he rested his head back down.

"OH HOLY HELL!"

"Hell isn't very holy," Kako remarked with a grin.

"Whatever. I'll take your papers, but only today. We're having 'family dinner day' today, anyway," Kouichi sighed, going back to attempting to sleep.

Kouji coughed and repeated, "'Family dinner day?'"

"Your stepmom came up with the name. Mom said we should have a get together each week and she supposedly called it that..." Kouichi trailed off as the teacher came in. "Wow, who's that? He looks underqualified."

Kako stared at the teacher, sniffing. "How so?"

Kouichi rolled his eyes. "He looks twenty."

"Oh...okay...so what?" Kako asked, noticing most of the girls giggling as the teacher smiled. "EWWW...they like him! He looks fifty!"

"Twenty," Kouichi corrected, sitting up.

"Fifty."

"Twenty."

"Fifty."

"Twenty."

Before Kouichi could respond, the teacher announced, "Alright, class, settle down. Sit wherever you want. We'll be switching seats later, anyway. My name is Mr. Ogata. I'll be teaching you Literature and Math."

_Dang, the two subjects I suck at_, Kouji thought, snapping his fingers under the desk.

"Alright, how about some introductions? Let's start with the back. You there, with the bandana. Start us off, will you?" Mr. Ogata asked with a smile.

Kouji stood up awkwardly. "Hi...Kouji Minamoto," he said, sitting down, confused as to why they had to introduce themselves.

Mr. Ogata chuckled. "Hobbies?"

Kouji stood up again. "Uh...playing videogames?" he blinked, sitting down.

"Alright, goggle boy, you're up."

Standing up, Takuya grinned goofily. "Takuya Kanbara. Hobbies are...uh...playing videogames," he finished lamely, the grin wiped off of his face as he slowly slinked into his seat.

A few more people went. There was a boy named Fujita who also liked playing video games, a girl named Miki who like studying. Izumi introduced herself and said her hobby was torturing boys. Kako said she liked annoying her brother, cooking and reading and writing. After two more people, Mr. Ogata pointed to Kouichi. "Alright, how about you?" he asked.

Kouichi stood up and stared straight into Mr. Ogata's eyes, keeping a poker face on. "I'm Kouichi Kimura. My hobby is none of your business. And it doesn't matter. You're twenty, right?" he asked.

Mr. Ogata was taken aback. "Uh...you'll find out about me later. U-uhm, next person."

Kouichi sat down, rolling his eyes. _Psh_, he thought, _lousy teacher._

Once everone finished, Mr. Ogata went to his desk. "Alright, now to get the seating chart-"

"Hold it. What about _your_ introduction?" Kouichi asked, raising an eyebrow.

Grumbling, their teacher nodded. But before Mr. Ogata could open his mouth, Kouji started cheering. "Yeah! Go Kouichi!"

"Shut up," Kouichi snapped. _Mr. Lousy teacher didn't even start yet! He's twenty, I swear!_

"Kouichi, be polite to your classmates!" Mr. Ogata reprimanded.

Snorting, Kouichi replied with a twitch, "He's more of a stupidly annoying brother than a classmate. If I had a say, he wouldn't even be in the same class as me."

Picking up a pair of glasses from his desk and putting them on, Mr. Ogata took a better look at the two. "Oh...twins...but you have different last names...?"

"Well, _DUH_," Kouji said, snorting, "That's because our parents are-"

"Oh, go on, Kouji, tell the entire world while you're at it," Kouichi growled, irritated.

Blinking, Kouji nodded. "Okay," he said. Very loudly, he yelled, "OUR PARENTS ARE-"

Before he could get the last word out, Kouichi ran over and covered Kouji's mouth, red faced. "I was being _sarcastic_," he hissed hastily before removing his hand.

"But what's wrong with them knowing?" Kouji asked, confused.

"Why should they care and why should they _know_?" Kouichi retorted, returning to his seat. _I'll never be invisible at this rate..._

"ACHEM. I'm Mr. Ogata and I'm _not_ twenty. I'm actually _fourty_," their teacher responded loudly.

"Oh, so you aren't underqualified. So, if you're fourty, why do you wear a baseball cap?" Kouichi asked, pointing to the cap on the man's head.

Grumbling, Mr. Ogata cleared his throat, determined not to be beaten by Kouichi. "Now, new seating chart..."

* * *

"What, Kouji?" Kouichi grumbled, feeling his brother poke his shoulder. 

_This is so great! Revenge will be mine!_ Kouji thought with a snicker.

Another poke, this time at Kouichi's back. "Would you two stop!" he hissed as papers began to get passed out. As unlucky as he was, Kouichi had been put to the right of a window, to the left of Kouji, in front of Kako and behind Takuya, with two girls at either corner, both of which chatted non-stop.

"Alright, take those papers to your parents to sign, and now you'll meet some of your other teachers," he heard Mr. Ogata say.

_Ah, fine. A small doze won't hurt_, Kouichi thought, closing his eyes as some of the other teachers came in. _At least I can multitask unlike Slacker One and Slacker Two,_ Slacker One referring to Takuya and Slacker Two referring to Kouji.

The class already knew Mr. Ogata was their homeroom, Math and Literature teacher. Their Biology teacher was Ms. Kawai. Kouichi noticed she always had a small smile on her face. _Good sign_.

For Gym, it was Mr. Ogata again. Kouichi noticed the way he looked at Ms. Kawai when he walked past her. Blackmail wasn't his thing, but it would come in handy against Mr. Ogata. Or so he hypothesized, anyway.

Mrs. Nakamura was teaching their music class. Something Kouichi both looked forward to and regretted having. Although he had learned to play a few instruments the past few years, Kako kept making him sing...

_I need to be careful in Music_, he thought, catching Kako's grin directed towards him through his peripheral vision.

Mr. 'L,' as he liked to be called, would be teaching them both French and Spanish.

_Hmm...so_, Kouichi thought with a grin. _Kouji'll space out and I can insult him in two different languages!_

Little did he realize that Kouji was thinking the exact same thing.

* * *

After more boring introduction speeches from all their teachers came the first break of the day. Needless to say, Kouichi was relieved, after being stared at the entire class time. After word leaked out that he and Kouji were twins, people kept staring at the both of them. Of course, Kouji, being Kouji, didn't mind the attention and instead snoozed away, but Kouichi... 

Then again, he supposed it was his own fault. After all, he was the one who had talked the most in the entire day so far-in their class, anyway. But it was only because of Mr. Ogata. Kouichi just _knew_ he was lying. _But_, he thought, _then again, who would want to be fourty instead of twenty?_

Sighing, Kouichi buried his head in his arms. "Ugh...school sucks," he muttered to himself.

"Kouichi...YOU SERIOUS!" Kouji exclaimed, shocked.

"Of course I am," came the bland reply.

Kouji was amazed. "So you do well in school...but you still hate it! I always thought the people who hated school were slackers like Takuya and me!"

"Meaning...?" Kouichi looked up. _Why did I ask? They're Slacker One and Two...it's so obvious..._he thought, suppressing a yawn.

With an uneasy laugh, Kouji replied, "Meaning messing up homework, nearly failing tests and quizes, sleeping in class, you get the gist of it, don't you?"

A loud snore in front of Kouichi interrupted their discourse. Looking up, Kouichi found Takuya asleep, mumbling, "No...don't take away my games..."

"I see what you mean," muttered the older twin.

As soon as Mr. Ogata came back in when break finished, everyone sat down and fell quiet.

"Now, we're going to get books. I know it's strange to get your textbooks on your very first day, but don't worry, it's nothing bad. Now, each one of you will come up and get a Biology, Math, Literature, Language and History book."

As the entire class stood up, Kouichi froze in his seat, eyes wide. _Five_ books. Five books, plus Kouji's five. He had to carry _ten_ books in his bag. _I don't think it can hold that much!_ Kouichi panicked, standing up, but said nothing. _What did I do to deserve this...?  
_

* * *

A/N- 

Woohoo! I fell asleep in class and got away with it! .:cheers:. Err...this is Takuya, by the way. Hey-Kouji-GET OUT OF MY A/N!

No way! This is Kouji, saying...HAHAHAHHAHAH! I LAUGH AT YOU KOUICHI! YOU HAVE TO CARRY TEN BOOKS! NO! DON'T KILL ME! .:runs away screaming at the top of his lungs:.

...back to Takuya...

YES, BACK TO TAKUYA! ME! TAKUYA! THE GOGGLE HEAD WITH THE BIG BRAIN! Okay, so it's not that big...hmm...I wonder what Kouichi did to deserve carrying ten big fat heavy textbooks that probably are equal to his weight...well...other than spilling paint on Kouji, burning Kouji's bandanas, having to endure Kouji's stupid jokes, uhh...

He deserves it...but really, Kaea, TEN textbooks? Couldn't you have made it SEVEN?

.:Kouichi comes in:. Hey, Takuya, Seven's not divisible by two. Well, it is, but the end result isn't a whole number. .:runs off to kill Kouji for laughing at him:.

BACK TO TAKUYA! .:glares:. ANYWAY, Kaea says review and her hands are hurting again cuz she's stupid. In other words, review, please. The below thank yous were done by none other than the idiotic brain Kouji. Ciao. Takuya out.

REVIEWS-

**UshiRamen**- Heheh…you'll see the master plan soon enough. And yeah, Tomoki probably doesn't understand the meaning of escargot…we shall see soon enough! MY PLAN'S ROCK! BECAUSE I AM KOUJI THE GREAT! And Kouichi's hat STINKS!

**Light's Blue Blossom**- I know! Isn't it great! I get to torture Kouichi even MORE, now! .:dances happily:.

**Mid-Moonlight**- Speaking of burgers, I oughta challenge Takuya to another competition sometime…AND I'M GONNA WIN! AND WHY DOES YOUR COUSIN LIKE KOUICHI BETTER! I'M BETTER! ME! .:sobs:.

**Lady Hikari-Yami**- Great! I'm glad you got the chapters. Don't I rule?

That was Kouji. Takuya out. Oh, and from now on, because Kaea saw the rule in another fanfic, she won't be allowing us to answer your reviews. She's super pissed about it, too. And since she didn't post this chapter the day after...:grins and begins singing a song from '2BA Master' in an off-tune voice:.

.:Kaea here:. I'm REALLY sorry I'm updating at...9:30ish...but anyway. I'm a bit disappointed with only four reviews for the last chapter, and I'm even more disappointed that I can't answer reviews anymore. Well, I'll update Thursday with chapter 5. If I finish. School just started, and I have a LOT of homework already...as you can tell, I'm stressed out. .:dizzy:. Review, if you'd please.

Arigatou.


	5. 3 Primary Tortures

Disclaimer-Hey people! This is Izumi! It really does stink. Kaea doesn't own Digimon. If she did...well, I wouldn't be the only girl stuck with five idiotic boys. Yes, Kouichi, Kaea says you're an idiot. But she doesn't own Digimon. What a pity...

* * *

Home Torture, Vacation Torture, And School Torture

* * *

"Aw, gee, Kouichi, you're such a great older brother," Kouji said affectionately as they walked over to the older twin's house after school had ended. 

_Gah...too...heavy...must...digivolve!_ Kouichi's mind yelled. Too bad he couldn't. "N-no problem...and I'm n-not...tha-at...much older! Only...a...few...MINUTES!" Kouichi muttered, nearly screaming in pain under the crushing weight of the backpack. _I am SO glad we got stronger from the trip to the digital world...wait...but I was technically only a spirit...OH WHATEVER! At least Kako isn't here..._

Takuya shook his head. "Stupid Mr. Ogata. None of us got five books on the first day before!" he complained.

"Yeah," Izumi agreed. "But you're only carrying five books. Look at Kouichi." Turning to Tomoki, she asked, "So how was you first day in seventh grade?"

With a grin, Tomoki replied, "Great! The teachers are nice, too!"

"Lucky," Kouji and Junpei grumbled. Takuya kicked the ground in front of him grumpily.

"Oh, and how was your day, Junpei?" Izumi asked suddenly.

"HORRIBLE!" Junpei yelled, "and I have EIGHT BOOKS!"

Kouichi yelped as he nearly tripped while walking up the stairs. "So what! I have to carry ten books! And five of them aren't even mine! HURRY UP AND OPEN THE DOOR, KOU-…oh, hi, Mom," he said as his mother opened the door. "What are you doing home so early?"

There was silence.

Then, Miss Kimura smiled and asked them all, "Kouichi, Kouji. How are you all doing?" Although she was smiling, the troubled look on her face was plain and clear.

More silence.

"Oh, are they back from school?" came a voice from inside.

Kouichi froze. "N-no way. Mom! What are they doing here! I thought-but-they-dinner-you-school-wh-" he stuttered, confused and horrified as he placed his bag down as gently on the ground as possible. "I'm going for a walk," murmured a dazed Kouichi.

"Er…bad time, Miss Kimura?" Takuya asked with a carefree grin.

She nodded with an apologetic smile. "I'm afraid so, Takuya. Kouji, your parents are over."

"But school just started," Kouji grumbled, watching as Kouichi walked off. "Can I drag Kouichi back?"

"We'll get him!" Tomoki offered.

Miss Kimura nodded. "I'm afraid we have to talk to you, Kouji."

With a nod, Kouji turned to his friends. "See you," he said, picking up his brother's bag and walking inside. "OW…this is heavy. How could he walk all that way?" Kouji muttered, practically falling under the weight of the bag. He dropped it inside with a thud and walked to the couch, where his father and stepmother sat. "Hi…Mom, Dad…what's up?"

"We're going to Hawaii tomorrow. And we can't take you because of school…so you're staying with your brother," his father informed him with no intention of going slow.

_I'm missing Hawaii because of school!_ Kouji's jaw dropped.

* * *

"KOUICHI!" Takuya yelled, catching up to his friend. 

"STOP BEING RUDE!" Izumi growled, whacking Kouichi's head with her shoe unexpectedly, and for a lack of a better weapon.

Kouichi yelped, "Ow…"

"Stupid idiot!"

"OW."

"Do not push away your family!"

"OW!"

"Izumi!" Takuya exclaimed, suddenly worried for Kouichi's well being.

"OW!"

Takuya called out over the yells, "You can stop-"

"OW!"

"…hitting him…"

"OW!"

"Fine!" Izumi snapped, hitting Kouichi one last time before putting her shoe back on.

"Ow…" Kouichi groaned, rubbing his head. "Izumi…you're as bad as Kako…"

"Well, we are cousins," Izumi laughed.

"Your presence is awaited back home," Junpei said dryly.

"Oh…fine. As long as Izumi doesn't whack me with her shoe," Kouichi muttered, sulking back home. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Izumi took Takuya's goggles off his head and threw them at Kouichi.

"HEY!" Takuya yelled, grabbing his goggles before they hit the ground.

"Ow," came another groan from Kouichi. "I'm going," he muttered, walking as slow as possible and hoping to avoid any meeting with his brother's family. In truth, his father wasn't all that bad…

But Kouji's stepmother scared him. Kouichi had never met anyone that old who was so…enthusiastic.

But other than that, she wasn't so bad. Neither was his dad. He supposed it was just because he didn't want to make it easy for his father that he acted his way. "Oh well," Kouichi murmured as he continued walking home.

"Hey, Izumi, why'd you hit Kouichi, anyway?" Takuya asked as he put on his goggles.

Izumi crossed her arms and glared at Junpei. "Because someone decided to be an idiot yesterday and annoy me."

"What'd he do?" Tomoki asked as they now made their way to Takuya's house.

"After taking me to a closed down restaurant, he took me to some stupid place that only served grease, which he spilled all over my dress," Izumi yelled, punching Takuya's shoulder for each word she emphasized.

"I feel Kouichi's pain," Takuya muttered through gritted teeth as he opened the door to his house?

"WHAT ABOUT MINE!" Junpei yelled.

Takuya never got to answer, as he was tackled by his younger brother.

* * *

"Well…here goes…everything," Kouichi grumbled as he twisted the doorknob and pushed the door in as he pocketed his key with his other hand. "I'm home…" 

"Ah. Kouichi, you just missed them," Miss Kimura said in a disappointed voice.

Kouichi noticed Kouji, who stood staring at the door with his jaw hanging down. Closing the door, he walked up to the younger twin and whacked Kouji over the head, but received no response in turn.

"I missed something important, didn't I?" Kouichi asked his mom, whacking Kouji repeatedly.

"Miss…Hawaii…darn…school," Kouji sputtered, blinking a few times. Then he yelled at the top of his lungs, "DAMN IT! BUT I HATE SCHOOL!"

"Uh…right. I'm going to go to my room to see how I should act with the stupid Mr. Oga-er…the teachers I have," Kouichi said hastily, opening his backpack and taking out his five books.

Miss Kimura nodded. "What do I do with Kouji? He's still upset that your father didn't take him to Hawaii," she murmured with a sigh, looking at her still-shocked son.

Kouichi dropped his books on his bed and ran out of his room, equally shocked. "Hawaii?" he repeated. "AND HE DIDN'T EVEN ASK US!"

"NOT FAIR!" Kouji screamed, stomping on the math book he dragged out. "I hate you, school! Die, DIE! DIEEEE!"

"All because of school! HE DIDN'T EVEN ASK YOU, Mom!" yelled the even more furious Kouichi.

Miss Kimura laughed nervously. Why did I have to say anything? she thought as she explained to the twins, "I have a job, Kouichi. Your father is on a business trip. We'd only be a nuisance."

"He never takes me on trips!" Kouji complained.

"But Hawaii! We haven't been out of this stupid city!" Kouichi complained as well.

She gave both her sons a stern look. "Now look here. Both of you have school to think about. And, Kouichi, we have been out of town before."

"But that was just-"

"KOUICHI."

"But-"

"NO."

"But-" Kouji started.

"I said no," Miss Kimura replied firmly, going back into the kitchen. "Since they're leaving today, they won't be over for dinner."

"YES!" both twins cheered before exchanging confused looks.

"Wait…why are you happy!" Kouichi asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at his twin.

"Uh," Kouji mumbled. "Cuz otherwise I'd break plates?"

Kouichi frowned before nodding. "Oh wait, good point. Double yes."

"Meanie."

"I carried your books and papers!"

"So?"

"So you should be grateful! Not calling me meanie!"

"You enslaved me until my birthday!"

"I RIPPED THE CONTRACT! Besides, you deserved worse."

"Oh YEAH!"

"BOYS!" Miss Kimura yelled, hands on her hips as she walked into the living room. "If you two don't stop arguing…and…oh, never mind!" she sighed, going back into the kitchen. Why do I bother…?

"I'm going to my room!" the twins shouted, glaring at each other until they entered their separate rooms and slammed the door shut.

Yes, High School was the age. Miss Kimura sighed. "Maybe things would have been easier if we hadn't split them up…"

* * *

"Alright, class, today we'll be taking the time to introduce ourselves further!" Mr. Ogata said cheerfully at the start of class the very next day. 

The door opened and both Kouji and Kouichi rushed in, pushing the other away and trying to catch their breath.

"Idiot! You made me late!" Kouichi yelled, attacking his twin with the notebook in his hands.

Kouji yelped, "OW! So what! It's not my fault the stupid streets are so hard to cross!"

"It isn't! IF YOU HAVE A BRAIN!"

"Which you don't."

"You mean you don't."

"Yeah! Then why is it that I was able to break your alarm?"

"YOU WHAT!"

"I wasn't supposed to? I thought you told me to stop it…" Kouji gulped and took a step away from the fuming Kouichi.

Kouichi's jaw hung open, his eyes wide. "TH-MOM GOT ME THAT FOR FIFTY BUCKS! IT WAS A BIRTHDAY PRESENT, TOO!"

"Wow…she got ripped off," commented a nervous Kouji. _Will that get him off my case?_

"Don't be stupid. It was a calculator and much more. Your brain wouldn't understand its importance!" Kouichi yelled, now attempting to strangle his twin. _WHY IS HE SO INFURIATINGLY IDIOTIC NOWADAYS!_

Kouji became dizzy, stumbling over to Mr. Ogata's desk. "Hello, teach. Sorry we're late," he mumbled, trying to not fall. "Wow, everything's spinning!"

Kouichi sat in his seat, slamming his notebook on the desk.

"You okay?" Kako asked him, concerned.

"My stupid twin can't cross a simple road without dropping all of his books, losing his papers and nearly getting run over by a car three times. Oh, of course I'm just great!" replied Kouichi, the sarcasm evident in his tone. "What's worse is my invisible act is done for. My only chance to get an 'A…' puffed up into dust."

Kouji managed to find his way to his seat. "Wow! That was fun! Oh…we're in class?" he asked, looking around and turning pale.

Izumi, who sat in front of Takuya, muttered, "Even Takuya's not that bad."

"I HEARD THAT!" Takuya and Kouji yelled, slamming their hands on their desks as they stood up, both glaring at Izumi.

Groaning, Kouichi whacked his head on his desk repeatedly. "Save me. Lucemon should have killed Kouji…"

"Hah! I should have left you in the hospital! How stupid! Tripping down some stairs and getting into a coma!" Kouji snapped back angrily.

"Kouji, shut up!" Kako hissed warningly. _Kouichi's getting angry…and Kouji's getting a bit too vengeful…twins are so stupid sometimes. Especially twin boys_, she thought, gulping.

"No way! And come on! You were totally helpless in the digital world!"

Takuya's eyes widened. "Uh...Kouji..."

"I mean, honestly! Siding with _Cherubimon_! How pathetic!"

Izumi winced. "Kouji, you can stop now," she murmured. _This is going a bit too far_.

"And really, Duskmon was uglier than _Cherubimon_."

"Oh, yes, go on and tell them about our _entire_ life, then, Kouji. Not like you know even half of it," Kouichi snarled, standing up and glaring at his twin. "Now shut up and sit down. I've had enough of your stupid blabbing. We're in something called school. I'm sure you're smart enough to realize that!"

Takuya sat down. "I have to agree...you went a bit _too_ far, Kouji. But hey! You always do that!" he laughed, adjusting his goggles.

Someone cleared their throat and the entire class turned to the long forgotten Mr. Ogata who had the principal standing next to him. "It occurs to me that you don't understand the meaning of education," Mr. Ogata started dryly as he looked around the room. "Teachers are didactic. They are intended to _instruct_."

Kouji jumped back into his seat and yanked a notebook out of his backpack. "I learned a new word!" he commented excitedly, taking his pencil and quickly writing didactic and its meaning.

"I didn't," Kouichi muttered, sitting down in his seat and looking out the window, incredibly bored.

"They are _not_ arbiters. We _don't_ judge disputes," Mr. Ogata continued before getting cut off by Kouji again.

"_Another_ new word! The day just gets better and better!" exclaimed the bandana boy. _I'm on a roll! Wait till I insult you with _these_ words, Kouichi!_

Kouichi rolled his eyes. "You know, if you read my vocab book, you'd find those words and more. Plus you'd become smarter. If that's even possible," he informed his twin who was writing down arbiter.

Kouji frowned as he looked at his brother, a determined look on his face. "Tell me more of this...vocab book."

"Stop reading Mega Tokyo," Kouichi grumbled, rolling his eyes. _God, he looks like the even stupider version of Largo,_ he thought, twitching slightly.

"Okay, fine, but what vocab book!"

"The one I always read when you decide to interrupt me."

"Uh...huh?"

"WOULD YOU ALL LISTEN!" Mr. Ogata yelled, turning red as he looked at the principal. "Er, I'm sorry, sir. They seem to be a bit...uhm, out of it..."

"YOU!" Kouichi yelled, pointing to the principal.

"Ah, yes. Kouichi, am I correct?" the principal laughed.

Kouichi's eyes widened in shock.

Their principal was...

* * *

A/N- 

Their principal was a person! I know, Kaea's evil. Cliffhangers are evil. Kaea is tired, and she's complaining. She always complains! Want to know the _good_ news! She made a livejournal to post all your reviews in! So, everytime she gets reviews, she'll be answering the reviews there! Go check it out if you want. It's

**_www .:dot:. livejournal .:dot:. com .:slash:. users .:slash:. dragonsunlight_**

And that's where your reviews will be answered! Isn't Kaea so smart? Not even Kouichi came up with that. Yes, Kouichi, Kaea's implying you are _stupid_. Kaea will be posting another fanfic, 'Of Broken Hearts And Jealousy' which will be starring me! And stupid Takuya! Anyway, it will be up...two days from now! And if it isn't...yet again, Takuya will sing an annoying song. This time, he will be joined by Kouji.

But for right now, since Kaea really wants to thank her reviewers, she's going to do so.

.:to Kaea:. I HUG YOU ALL! You are _so_ awesome! Thank you, **The Light's Refrain** for being honest and telling me you didn't like...chapter three. Actually, I don't remember what chapter three was about. Hm. Oh well! And I wrote it...hm. And, as Izumi stated, **_I will be answering reviews in a livejournal_** I made just for your reviews! Because you guys honestly deserve to have your reviews answered! I shall put the link in my bio just in case. Anyway, I have school in...15ish minutes, so have fun reading!


	6. School Doomsday, What's New?

Disclaimer-Hey! This is...Junpei!

And Tomoki! How are you all today!

Anyway, Kaea doesn't own Digimon.

Yeah. She hardly owns anything!

That's not true. She owns more than I do!

Oh...same here. Okay, so she owns more than we do, I suppose. But that's it! Enjoy the story!

* * *

School Doomsday. What's New?

* * *

Izumi stared at the principal before her eyes widened in realization. "OH...Mr. Aizawa!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together and leaning back in her seat.

"Hello...and you are...? I'm sorry, I don't remember names all that well."

"Izumi."

"Ah. Hello, Izumi. You were one of the two that came in with Kouichi, am I right?"

"Yes!"

"WOAH! Another thing I learned! Mr. Aizawa runs a bandana shop and a school! No wonder Dad knows him so well. Wait-WHAT DID YOU TWO PLOT AGAINST ME!" Kouji bellowed suddenly jumping out of his seat and pointing an accusing finger at his principal.

Mr. Aizawa merely smiled, entirely amused. "Well, we never discussed you and school before," he replied politely.

"Oh, you're excused."

"Good grief. He's exculpated," sighed an ever-exasperated Kouichi.

Kouji stared. "Exculpated?"

"EXCULPATED! TO FREE FROM GUILT OR BLAME!"

"ANOTHER WORD!" Kouji cried gleefully, writing it down.

"And you!" Kouichi snapped, pointing to Mr. Ogata. "Honestly, if you think teachers are just didactic, you're stupid! I looked you up. You have a shady record in general and your integrity sucks. You promise extra credit you never give, and not one student-well, one male student-has passed your class because of your sucky grading system! You've only taught one year and I can find all that about you. HAH! YOU DON'T EVEN _HAVE_ A GRADING SYSTEM!"

Mr. Ogata coughed and glared. "I've been teaching for five years."

Kouichi snorted, "You graduated two years ago. You're not even twenty-four."

"And what do you know about teaching?" the teacher sneered.

Another snort. "I have an idiot, sheltered twin. Well, he's only sheltered to common household work. What _don't_ I know about teaching is a better question. Kouji can't even cook without blowing something up. Takuya couldn't either, and Junpei wasn't so bad, but that's not the point. How else am I supposed to have a cook that can cook! Then again, I kinda ripped the contract, so they're free..."

"Although usually, Junpei and Takuya did the cooking," Kouji offered absentmindedly, recalling all the pots he had nearly set on fire.

"KOUJI CAN'T EVEN PAINT A WALL PROPERLY!"

"Enough! You're wasting my class time!" Mr. Ogata screamed furiously.

Blinking, Kako raised a hand without hesitation.

"Er..." Mr. Ogata was taken aback as he called on her, "Yes, Kako?"

"Excuse them. They aren't morning people. Actually, they're at each other's throats in the morning on normal days. You got off lucky," she told him smoothly.

Mr. Aizawa laughed. "Kako, how is your mother?" he asked. Then, after a moment's pause, he added, "You're quiet today."

"I'm tired. Plus there was no one to bug in the morning. And Mom is fine, Gramps. Is that the only thing you can ask me about?" Kako grumbled, slouching in her seat a bit.

Kouichi shot a look behind his back. Indeed, she did look tired. _Then again, who isn't?_ he thought, snorting.

"Kako! Be polite!" Mr. Ogata yelled.

Izumi sighed. "Don't you pity him, Takuya?" she asked the boy behind her.

No answer.

"Takuya?" Izumi whirled around and found the goggle boy sound asleep. "Boys," she muttered in a somewhat affectionate voice under her breath as she turned around.

She was too late to see Takuya twitch and open his eyes before closing them again.

"Why should I be polite?" Kako inquired, her tone bored and indolent. "He's my grandpa!" she yelled suddenly sticking out her tongue. I'M TIRED! WHY CAN'T PEOPLE RESPECT THAT FACT!"

Everyone stared.

"So that's why he looked so familiar!" Izumi exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "I saw him at that party your parents threw!"

Mr. Aizawa smiled politely. "I think you all better get back to class," he told them. "My, I could watch you all day. Mr. Ogata, with those twins in your class, you're sure to have an easy job teaching!"

As Mr. Aizawa left, everyone stared at Mr. Ogata from his or her seats, watching as he almost turned blue in the face. Just as he opened his mouth and prepared to yell, though, Ms. Kawai entered the room. "AH! Hello, Rai!" he said quickly, turning to face her with the most charming smile he could muster.

"My turn," was all she said in reply.

As he turned around to ask Kako something, Kouichi watched her sit up in her seat, suddenly alert and grinning. Kouichi turned back around and winced. _I am going to die. She's definitely up to something_, he thought, gulping.

Stiffly, Mr. Ogata walked outside before he let out a frustrated scream.

_I wonder if he tore out all his hair by now_, Kouji wondered with an evil grin plastered on his face as he kept his eyes glued to the closed door.

Kouichi smirked slightly. Serves that stupid teacher right. Well, I suppose we can't call him a teacher, considering he can't teach...

_Bingo. He's done for and I'm gonna bust him_, the twins thought at the same time.

And that was when things turned a bit topsy turvy.

"Alright," Ms. Kawai said as she turned to the class. "We can do this the boring way, or the fun way..."

_NO GOOD!_ Kouichi panicked, looking around him. Was he the only one who thought the fun way meant death?

* * *

"This isn't so bad," Kouichi sighed as they were put into groups. So far, Izumi and Kouji were in his group.

"And you two girls go to the twins' group," he heard Ms. Kawai say.

Kouichi's eyes widened. Slowly, he edged to his desk, pushing his twin in front of him. "You do the talking for the both of us. We look similar enough," he whispered to the younger twin as the girls giggled and walked over.

With a shrug, Kouji replied, "Okay. You know, Kouichi, there are some things you seriously need to get over...and I thought I was the most immature twin."

"Shut up!" Kouichi snapped, flipping through his Biology textbook. How many more long, torturous hours? Apparently too many, he thought, freezing as he heard a giggle behind him. "Ack!" he yelled, turning red and jumping behind Kouji. "Save me?" muttered Kouichi in an over-hopeful voice.

Izumi sighed. "Kouichi, I wonder who's really immature sometimes, you or Kouji. I mean, how can you be allergic to girls? Can we just follow instructions and forget about everything else?"

_As long as I'm not tortured by scary giggling girls_, Kouichi gulped.

"HAH! He's not allergic to girls! He just says that. He's really-" Kouji stopped in midsentence, not because the older twin had their hand over his mouth, but because another step of the plan was being devised. _MORE WAYS TO TORTURE KOUICHI!_ Grinning, he rubbed his hands together and snickered under his breath, "This will be fun."

Kouichi looked over at Kako's group, which consisted of Takuya and three other boys. "Hey, Kako! I'd switch with you if I could," he grumbled.

"Ah! You've got Kouji, though!" she snapped. "And he's no-or wasn't going crazy..."

Kouji was now jumping up and down happily, yelling, "I totally rock!"

"Alright now, SHUT UP!" Ms. Kawai yelled. She walked over to the desk. "This is what you're going to do. You're all going to go around in a circle and tell everyone your name, how old you are, what month you're born in, and a sentence or two about yourself. I'll be walking around and listening in. Okay, any questions?" she asked, ignoring Takuya, Kouichi and Kako's hands, which shot up in the air the moment she asked. "No? Then start when you're ready."

The class burst into a buzz of conversations. Kouichi looked around and sighed before he realized his entire group was staring at him. "WHAT!"

"You go first," Kouji said in a bored tone as he began tapping a finger on the desk, an elbow propped up on the table with his cheek resting in the palm of his hand.

Another sigh. "Fine," grumbled the still-reluctant Kouichi. He looked to his left to see how Kako's group was doing and said, "Kouichi Kimura, why should I tell you? You don't need to know. It's not important. You don't need to know about me."

Kouji went next. "Kouji Minamoto, 14, it's a surprise. Hobby...uh...thinking..."

"He means kendo," Kouichi interrupted. "He was just thinking of what to say. In reality, he can't think. He hasn't thought in four years."

"And I think I've got the awesomest twin! He carried my books yesterday!"

Kouichi received stares and continued, "Since he can't think, he stupidly forgot his backpack. Of course, he can think. Kouji just thinks it's more interesting not to think."

One of the girls giggled and introduced herself. "I'm Naoko Endo. I'm fourteen. I was born in March. And my hobby is...hmm...well, drawing, I guess. You could say I'm easily amused."

As he sighed in relief, Kouichi relaxed his shoulders a bit. _Naoko, good, talkable_, he noted silently.

"I'm Ai Nakamura! I'm fourteen, born in June and like to look at boys! Uh...yeah, that's it!" Ai finished, smiling at Kouichi, who had tensed up and hidden behind Kouji again.

_Ai Nakamura equals incredibly dangerous_, Kouichi thought, practically near tears. Why do I have to suffer?

"I'm Izumi Orimoto," Izumi began, but was cut off by a yell.

Kako had kicked the boy next to her. "Don't even try that! STUPID LOSER!"

Everyone stared.

"What'd he do, Kako?" Kouji asked, poking the shoulder of the fallen boy to see if he was conscious.

"Well," Kako started pointing at the boy. "I told him I'd give him ten dollars if he ever got a girlfriend by the end of the year. So then I told him that if he did, he'd have to be with her for at least two months, and then he can't dump her right after I gave him the money. And he said 'darn.' DO YOU KNOW THAT MEANS HE WOULD HAVE DUMPED THE POOR GIRL RIGHT AFTERWARD!" she yelled, placing her hands on Kouji's shoulder and shaking him back and forth.

_Now I know why Kouichi's so scared of her_, Kouji thought as he felt himself become dizzy. "Not again...dizzy twice in a day..."

"Ms. Kawai, can we stop now?" Izumi sighed, looking at Takuya who was staring at her strangely. "Uh...Takuya, you look spaced out."

Quickly, Takuya looked at the white board, then Kouji. "Uh...K-Kako, you can...uh...stop now."

"Right..." Kako muttered, letting go of Kouji and walking over to her desk.

Ms. Kawai nodded and everyone took their seats. "As you all know, I'm Rai Kawai, your Biology teacher. We'll be starting of the school year by learning about Mitosis. Mitosis is how cells, excluding gametes, 'reproduce,' so to speak. There are four phases-"

"WOW! CELLS REPRODUCE?" Takuya and Kouji exclaimed, amazed.

Almost everyone slapped their forehead. Kouichi, however, had been expecting a comment like that.

"Uh...yes. Who knows how many chromosomes our regular cells have?"

"There's two types of cells?" Kouji asked Takuya in a small whisper.

Takuya shrugged, equally clueless.

Idiots. I'm surrounded by idiots, Kouichi thought, still deciding on whether he should answer the question or not.

"Eighty-two!" one student guessed.

"Thirty?"

"Is it eight?" Kouji asked. "Huh? Is it! Is it!"

Takuya glared at the bandana head. "NO. It's OBVIOUSLY 206!"

"That's the general number of bones, dummy," Kouichi snapped.

"Oh..." the goggle head said in realization. "Seventy-two!"

Kouji clapped. "It's the answer of life! Forty-seven! Or was the answer of life forty-nine? Oh whatever! FORTY!"

"No," Kako muttered, rolling her eyes. "The answer is forty-six."

"Very good, Kako," Ms. Kawai said approvingly.

As Ms. Kawai went on about haploid and diploid cells, Kouji felt himself get confused. "Wait...a diploid cell has eleven and a half chromosomes?"

"NO, Kouji," Kouichi said, clearly irritated. "A diploid cell has FORTY-SIX chromosomes and haploid cell has TWENTY THREE. It's not possible to have half of a chromosome."

"Well you never know!" Takuya argued.

"Shut up."

"OH...why didn't she just say so?" Kouji asked, scratching his head as he looked at his notes, then the white board, where Ms. Kawai had written down some notes.

"BECAUSE SHE JUST DID!" Kouichi screamed, nearly tearing his hair out to prevent himself from murdering Kouji on the spot.

Takuya laughed. "It reminds me of my brilliant plan to get us off the Digimoon. Remember that, Kouichi?"

Kouichi rolled his eyes. "Who could forget? We fired in a random direction for no reason at all."

A snicker escaped Kouji. "That was the stupidest idea ever."

"NO!" Takuya countered, "your idea to paint Kouichi's room was stupid!"

"Your tree house idea was stupid!"

"I don't have a tree, though!"

"You're idea to beat Kouichi was stupid, too!"

"WE NEVER FOUGHT KOUICHI!"

"I MEANT DUSKMON! YOU NEARLY KILLED US ALL!"

"YEAH! WELL, I AIDED IN GETTING KOUICHI! AND NOW I WISH I REALLY DITCHED YOU GUYS AFTER YOU TOOK THE HIT FOR ME!"

Kouichi coughed, "Can we skip this please?" He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. There were some things he didn't want to remember.

"I STILL BEAT YOU IN THE BURGERMON COMPETITION!" Kouji yelled as he jumped out of his seat and pointed at Takuya, glaring.

Takuya stood up as well, pointing locking glares with Kouji. "YOU _STILL_ CAN'T COOK! AND HONESTLY! RAINBOW BURGER! HOW PATHETIC!"

"HAH! BLISTER BURGER ISN'T MUCH BETTER!"

"ENOUGH WTIH THE BURGERS!" Kouichi screamed, ready to tear his hear out again.

"If you guys really want, we can have a cook off," Ms. Kawai sighed. "As long as you shut up."

"Thank you!" Kouji and Takuya yelled, turning to face their teacher. Then Kouji blinked as he looked around the classroom. "Wait...in here?"

"The cooking room is next door. The chef club does all their cooking there. I figured we'd have another burger feud, and since Junpei's the president, he said the winner's recipe is used in the annual something...or another...uhm...yeah," Kako muttered.

How much did you tell her, Izumi?" Takuya grumbled, not meeting Izumi's eyes.

Izumi blinked. "Uhm...everything?"

"Even the part where I-"

"JUST GET CCOOKING!" Kouichi screamed, nearly yanking at his hair until Kako whacked the back of his head.

"I'll explain the rules when we get into the cooking room. Can we go now, Ms. Kawai?" Kako asked, standing up.

Ms. Kawai nodded. Then, under her breath, she muttered, "I thought highschoolers were mature."

* * *

A/N-

I AM SO SORRY! I TOOK FOREVER TO UPDATE! I DIDN'T TYPE THIS UP UNTIL YESTERDAY NIGHT! I'M SORRY! .:bows a billion times:. SORRY SORRY SORRY! (Edit-I'm sorry that I didn't italicize the thoughts on the first posting. My computers are wacky. XP SORRY!)

My third multichapter fic is up. It was the first INTENDED multichapter fic, but I got so caught up in Not The Bandanas that I put it aside. Here's the URL-http/ so that's that. Remember, I'm answering reviews on an LJ, now. Just go to the LJ homepage and search dragonsunlight, or URL- the links don't work, in your review, tell me. Thanks for all those who reviewed! You're awesome!


	7. The Competition Begins

Disclaimer-This is Kouichi…with Tomoki right beside me. Tomoki decided he didn't get enough recognition. I have to agree with him. So he's gonna take over for me!

.:Tomoki:. No way, Kouichi! I wanna co-star with you!

.: Kouichi:. …this isn't a movie, Tomoki. I'm not famous, and…go co-star with Takuya!

.:Tomoki:. Anyway! Kaea doesn't own Digimon!

* * *

The Competition Begins. How Can They STILL Make Good Food Taste Bad?

* * *

"In other words, the entire class can make whatever they want, so we can all cook. If that's okay with R-er…I mean, Ms. Kawai," Kako said hastily as they all walked next door into the cooking room. 

Both Takuya and Kouji had been the first to race out of the classroom, with the entire class behind them, following with anticipation.

"What are _you_ going to make, Kouichi?" Kako asked as they entered the cooking room.

Kouichi snorted and replied, "Burgers. Someone has to save people from Kouji and Takuya."

She laughed. "Too true…"

"What should _we_ do, Kako?" Izumi asked with a sigh as she seated herself at a table with her cousin across from her.

"Wait?" Kako suggested. "Oh, yeah, you dumped Junpei, right?"

"Yeah…Takuya's smarter than I thought. Either that or he's dense."

"Dense," Kako laughed. "Otherwise, I'm sure your plan would have worked."

Izumi sighed again. "So what do I do?" she asked.

Kako grinned. "Be the burger tester and say Kouji's burger is better." After a pause, she added, "I was kidding."

"No…that just might work. I suppose I can't be so picky, can I?" mumbled Izumi. "I'll just lie and say Takuya's burger tastes good."

There was a yell from near the stove, "STOP STEALING MY RECIPE, KOUJI!"

Kouji whined back, "But Kouichi! I need help!"

The older twin growled, "Yeah, you do. MENTAL help! Honestly! How can you take perfectly good food and make it taste bad!"

"FINE! I'LL SHOW YOU I CAN MAKE A BURGER!"

Takuya let out a cry of triumph. "I FINISHED! PRESENTING…" Everyone crowded around as Takuya continued, "The _Mystery Meat_ burger! The ingredients are a mystery, but no worries! It's positively delicious."

Kako and Izumi exchanged glances before getting up and picking up a burger.

"I'll see you if we survive," Kako muttered, making a face at the burger.

Gulping, Izumi nodded and murmured to herself, "We can't always get what we want, can we?"

Both girls took a bite, squeezing their eyes shut.

Everyone watched silently, the anticipation rising.

"It's edible!" Kako exclaimed happily, finishing off the rest of the burger as everyone rushed past her to taste some.

Izumi stared at the burger in her hands. "Wow, Takuya, that's a big improvement from four years ago," she commented.

Before she could continue her compliment, Takuya snorted and snapped, "Yeah? Well I can make it better! Just you wait!" Angrily, he stomped back to the stove, determined to make a better burger.

Sighing, Izumi sat down at the table she had previously occupied. "I'll never love again," she moaned to herself. _And I definitely won't be eating onions, either. That entire burger was practically pure onions!_

"Hah! Takuya's just stupid, impatient, stubborn and dense. Uh…oh…Kouji finished. I'll test this. We can't have you suffering any more than you have," Kako muttered quickly as Kouji ran towards her with two plates stacked with burgers.

"Presenting! _Minamoto Family Special_!" he exclaimed, placing the plates on the table. "Since it's special, so are the ingredients. Thus, I don't have to tell you what's in it!"

Kouichi walked over carrying a large plate of his own burgers. "I think I stole the 'good cook' genes. Either that, or living with Dad has ruined Kouji's potential. Anyway, after you try the 'Minamoto Family Special,' whatever it may be, make sure to eat one of mine if you start choking," he told everyone else, then went back to make more food.

Kako squealed and dove for the burgers Kouichi made. Just as she grabbed one, Kouji snatched it out of her hands.

"MINE FIRST," he warned her with a glare.

Picking up Kouji's burger with a sigh, Kako eyed Kouichi's burgers. "This sucks," she grumbled, taking a bite and swallowing. The girl stood there for a while before brushing her black hair out of the way. "Kouji, it has no taste," she told him, finishing the rest of the burger. "But it's edible. Takuya's, on the other hand, tasted like onions."

"Oh. Mine was pretty much made up of onions," Takuya notified her. "Onion in the beef, onion in the sauce, onion bread, onion ketchup and mustard…yeah. Everything."

As Kako's hand flew to her mouth to prevent her from gagging, Kouji scrunched up his nose and informed everyone, "Mine was made from smoked fish."

"I think I'm gonna puke," croaked Kako, grabbing one of Kouichi's burgers and stuffing it in her mouth.

"Anybody thirsty?" Kouichi asked, coming to the table with a pitcher of juice, sighing. _I have no life. I'm cooking…at school_, he thought, suddenly feeling depressed. _I should cook some more. I feel depressed…_

As fast as she could, Kako snatched the pitcher and ran to get a cup, quickly pouring the juice in the cup and drinking it, coughing for several seconds afterward. After that, she whacked Kouji and Takuya over the head. "YOU TWO SUCK! Why are you still cooking, Kouichi?"

"I was bored," came Kouichi's bland reply. _And I'm depressed. That's so stupid._

Ms. Kawai was seated next to Izumi and quietly eating one of Kouichi's burgers. "You were right, Kako. No wonder your brother hates his guts. He's jealous," she mused aloud.

"I know! Hideki can be such a jerk! Why are you still dating him!" Kako huffed in return.

"Hah, what, are you kidding? Ogata's got his eye on me. That means death. Plus, your brother has his good qualities…"

"Like what? Being jealous?"

"He's cute."

Kako stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Ewww…"

"I'M CONFUSED!" Kouji yelled, annoyed by the lack of attention he was getting.

"Let's explain this," Kako sighed, sitting down on a nearby stool. "Izumi's my cousin. Mr. Aizawa's my grandpa. And Ms. Kawai is my brother's girlfriend."

"HOW OLD IS YOUR BROTHER!" Takuya asked in shock.

"Twenty-five? Or…no, wait-yeah, twenty-five. And he doesn't like Kouichi, because Kouichi can cook and sing ten times better than he can!" Kako said, smirking victoriously.

Kouichi through her a glare. "NO. FOGET IT. I ALREADY COOKED."

"Singing and cooking are two different things," she sang.

"NO WAY!"

Kouji cackled. "Hey, Kako, wanna know how to make him sing?"

Tilting her head to the side, Kako walked over to Kouji and nodded as he whispered in her ear. Suddenly grinning, she pointed to Kouichi and yelled, "I KNOW YOUR SECRET!"

"That I'm not related to Kouji? Of course I'm not. Everyone knows that. And he's not really my brother," Kouichi snorted smoothly.

Ms. Kawai laughed. "You two would make a great couple, you know, Kako."

Kako's jaw dropped and Kouichi dashed out of the room. "WHO ARE YOU KIDDING!" Kako squeaked loudly. "BOYS ARE STUPID, DENSE, STUBBORN, IDIOTS!"

"He ran away," Takuya murmured with wide eyes. "We've done the impossible!"

"AAAH! NO WAY!" Kako yelled, running out of the room and bumping into Kouichi on the way out.

As he walked in, Kouichi cleared his throat and headed to the stove without a word.

"Kouichi's not talking! Ms. Kawai is amazing!" Takuya yelled in amazement.

Kouji snorted. "You don't need to do play-by-play's. We know what's going on," he told the goggle-head.

Before Kouji could whack Takuya over the head for his stupidity, Izumi ran in between them, a determined look on her face. "Uhm, Takuya? C-can I talk to you?" she asked nervously.

Cluelessly, Takuya nodded, looking to his left. He followed Izumi out of the room and into the empty hallway.

Out in the hallway, Izumi turned to Takuya, more determined than before. "Takuya, what do you think about me?"

"What?" Takuya asked, completely taken aback. "Izumi, what…whaddya mean?"

"When you see me, what do you think?" Izumi repeated impatiently.

"You're a great friend! And…uh…well…"

"Well?"

Before she could see him blush, Takuya turned around and mumbled something.

Izumi stared at him, confused. "I didn't hear."

"I AM GOING TO MURDER HIDEKI!" Kako screamed, running past them and into the cooking room.

Seconds later, Ms. Kawai came out. "Takuya, Izumi, we have to get back to class, now," she told them, walking into their classroom.

Takuya nodded and followed, leaving Izumi behind, wondering. "What's he hiding? Does he hate me that much?" she mumbled to herself as she followed Takuya into the classroom, feeling miserable.

"SHE ISN'T MY GIRLFRIEND, YOU IDIOT!" Kouichi yelled, chasing his twin out of the room. "You even _know_ I'm…uh…"

"You're what?" Kouji asked tauntingly, grinning at the doorway to their classroom. Torturing his twin was amusing. _The Master Plan will form a week after our birthday! Just you wait, Kouichi, just you wait_, Kouji thought, grinning widely now.

"YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" Kouichi yelled, chasing his twin into the classroom. If only he hadn't ripped up the contract…

_This isn't over. Just you wait, Kouji. Just you wait_, Kouichi promised silently as Ms. Kawai announced that Mr. Ogata would know be teaching them Math as soon as she wrapped up her Biology lesson.

* * *

After three more fights with Mr. Ogata, avoiding Kako all throughout the day, and nearly ripping and cutting up Kouji's bandana, Kouichi walked home ahead of his friends, his only company the sulking Izumi. 

"Hey, Izumi, are you sure you're alright?" he asked for the eighth time after school.

"How come you don't talk to girls?" Izumi inquired curiously.

Kouichi swallowed. "Other than the fact that I find them complex and confusingly hard to decipher?"

Izumi nodded.

"Uh…promise you won't tell anyone?"

Once more, Izumi nodded.

"I'm…afraid of girls."

Izumi's hand flew to her mouth to stifle a laugh. "YOU? AFRAID OF GIRLS!"

Wincing, Kouichi nodded, turning red and looking at his shoes, too embarrassed to face Izumi.

"So…you're afraid of girls. What about Takuya and Kouji? And why are you afraid of girls? Why aren't you afraid of me?" asked Izumi, with many more questions waiting to be answered.

"One at a time!" Kouichi exclaimed, laughing uneasily. "Takuya and Kouji are immature…and…well, at least _Kouji_ is. Takuya is…just…he gets embarrassed, I guess. I just find girls scary. It's my natural reaction at first. But, since I got to know you, you're an exception. Another fact is that I wasn't scared of girls until seventh grade. Up till then, I'd be ignored. Maybe I'm talking too much, now."

Izumi decided to test her luck. "Does Takuya mention me…at all?" she asked, biting her bottom lip.

"Yeah. He says a lot about you. In fact, he never shuts up. Which is why we never pay attention to him. Plus, we don't understand half of what he says, anyway. He talks that fast," Kouichi continued, stopping to tie his shoe. "Why are you asking, anyway?"

"I…no reason."

"You should tell him, you know."

Pretending to be surprised, Izumi looked at Kouichi, who had continued walking and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Kouichi smiled at her. "It's obvious you like him."

"What about you and Kako?" In all honesty, she was curious about their friendship.

Kouichi's smile faded and he shivered. "I _told_ you. I'm afraid of girls…"

"But you like Kako!" Izumi sang, smiling.

He turned red and looked away. "N-no, I don't. She scares me. I could be allergic to girls, I guess. Just like that guy in Zodiac P.I. But I've known Kako since fourth grade, and she's tortured me every single day of my life."

Izumi laughed. "Sometimes, I wonder. Is it that you're _too_ mature, or that you never grew up?"

Shrugging, Kouichi looked behind him. "You think the rest of them went to the arcade?"

"Dare we check?"

The two exchanged looks before grinning as they chorused, "NAH!"

"How about I treat you to ice cream?" Kouichi laughed, reaching in his pocket for his wallet.

That was, until, he realized his wallet was missing.

"On second thought…KOUJI GET BACK HERE WITH MY WALLET!" he yelled, racing in the direction of the arcade.

Izumi winced. "They never learn," she sighed, walking after Kouichi. "Makes me wonder why I still like Takuya. Then again, maybe that _is_ why…"

* * *

A/N- 

(I AM SO SORRY! I POSTED CH. 2 OF OF BROKEN HEARTS AND JEALOUSY HERE YESTERDAY! I AM SO SO SO SO SORRY!)

.:Tomoki:. She finished Chapter Seven! A miracle!

.:Kouichi:. While Tomoki makes confetti and Kaea figures out why MS Word is saying that 'A' is spelled wrong, I'll go on to say that Kaea only has a page's worth of chapter eight done. How pathetic. Then again, it _is_ her mom's fault. And her own fault. Finish your math homework, Kaea. You have all the assignments till February!

.:Kaea:. SHUT UP Mr. Eyeball head.

.:Kouichi:. That would be Duskmon, thank you very much!

.:Kaea:. Yeah, anyway, I'll finish Chapter eight by tonight, hopefully. Review! Because-

.:Kouichi:. Because you're awesome. You've only said it two billion times.

.:Kaea:. And Wada Kouji is awesome, too! I want Digimon song downloads! .:goes on a rampage:.

.:Kouichi:. While she obsesses…you can review, I suppose. Anyway, Kaea hopes you enjoyed the chapter.

.:Tomoki:. Let's celebrate with Kouichi singing!

.:Kouichi:. PLEASE! REVIEW AND TELL HER THAT YOU DON'T WANT ME TO BE TORTURED! .:edges away from Tomoki:.


	8. There's No Such Thing As Cupid

Disclaimer- This is Izumi...

.:Takuya:. And Takuya! YOU CAN'T FORGET ME, I'M IMPORTANT!

.:Izumi:. Put a sock in it, Takuya. You're so pathetic sometimes. Remember? Say and Scram?

.:Takuya:. Fine, Fine. Kaea doesn't own Digimon.

.:Izumi:. But she should!

.:Takuya:. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!

* * *

There's No Such Thing As Cupid, Only Kouji

* * *

_Please don't let him have used the money...PLEASE!_ Kouichi's mind screamed as he bolted through the automatic doors and tackled his twin, grabbing him in a headlock from behind. "Where's my wallet?" panicked Kouichi.

"I _told_ you, Kouji!" Kako snapped, tossing Kouichi his wallet. "Here ya go."

"But-" Kouji protested. _MY MASTER PLAN! _

Kouichi silenced him with a glare, releasing the younger twin. "NEVER. TOUCH. MY. THINGS," he thundered. Then, as an afterthought, the older twin added, "Or else."

Kouji rolled his eyes. "I only wanted to show Kako and everyone else that picture you always hide behind all of your school I.D.'s! I showed Takuya last week."

The older twin paled considerably. "Wh-wh...y...y-y...you mean you showed..."

"Yep! The baby picture of you that you have! It's funny!"

Much to Kouji's confusion, Kouichi covered his mouth and turned around, stifling his laughter and banging his head against a nearby pinball machine.

"What did I miss?" Izumi asked, walking into the arcade uneasily as soon as she spotted Takuya.

"Nothing much..." Kako replied. "You missed about as much as I did. What the hell is so funny, Kouichi?"

Bursting out in fits of laughter, Kouichi managed to say, "That's a picture exclaimed, cracking up. "That's amazing! Embarrassing yourself without knowing! I thought only Takuya could do that!"

Takuya, who had been laughing, stopped and glared at Kako. "HEY!"

Izumi smiled and walked over to her cousin. "You mean that picture of Kouji as a baby sucking his thumb and glaring at the camera?" she asked.

Kouichi nodded and tried to control his laughter. "Y-yeah...that's the one..." he affirmed, taking deep breaths and hoping he didn't burst out laughing again. _Honestly, the stupidity of it all...then again, we ARE twins..._

_I'll never give up! I'll show him!_ Kouji thought grumpily. "Why do you have a baby picture of me, anyway?" he snapped.

"Well, since Tomoki and Junpei are too busy gaming to hear the story, I might as well tell you. Now, Grandma told me about you, right? So then, I asked Mom about you, and she gave me that picture. Apparently, Dad has a baby picture of me...and Mom complained it was cuter," Kouichi explained, grinning.

"HEY! I LOOK CUTE IN MY PICTURE TOO!" Kouji barked, glaring daggers at his brother.

Kako snickered. "Define cute."

"Shaddup."

"CONTINUE, PLEASE!" Takuya said loudly, trying to act interested.

"Ooh, someone's edgy," Kako teased with a grin. "What? Were you playing poker at school?"

Kouichi rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and so that's how I got it. About a week or so later, I actually saw you. It was a bit weird at first. I mean...it's kind of scary finding out you have a twin after living eleven years without one."

"Yeah, but...when I came back from the digital world after you knocked out Kouji and not me, I saw you glaring at Kouji in the train. What was up with that?" Takuya asked, remembering the incident in which he had turned into some random Digimon after he had tried coming back to the real world, but eventually had gone back to help Kouji and the rest fight Duskmon.

The boy shrugged. "Well, you know. Mom never remarried, but Dad did. I guess I felt...jealous that Kouji had a complete family. But you know, he's got a wacky family. His step mom scares me," Kouichi said, shivering.

"Just wait till you meet Shinya," Takuya muttered.

"We did, if you don't remember. He pounced on you yesterday," Izumi informed him.

Takuya paled and gulped. "Err...I j-just remembered! I better go beat Junpei, now!" he said quickly, running to where Junpei and Tomoki were both gaming ferociously.

Izumi sighed. "I'm hopeless."

"HE'S hopeless," Kako corrected. "What a scaredy cat."

"Who wouldn't be, knowing you," Kouji muttered under his breath.

"You better not have been talking to Izumi."

"YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO HEAR! AND I WAS TALKING TO YOU!"

His twin just sighed. "Look, Izumi, do you want us to knock some sense into him? And anyway, today's our daily park day."

"Who came up with the name park day? I forget," Kako wondered aloud.

Kouji snorted. "Me. We go to the park and talk. Park day's a good name!"

"It's so stupid," Kako retorted.

"NO IT ISN'T! IT MAKES SENSE! OOH! I have an idea!" he said suddenly, excitedly bouncing over to Izumi. "Alright, so this is what we'll do..."

* * *

"BUT I _DID_ BEAT YOU! DON'T DENY IT, JUNPEI!" Takuya yelled, glaring at the older boy.

Junpei stuck up his nose and turned away in response.

"I think he's trying to say, 'You have a big head, no brain, and need to listen more in Math class,'" Tomoki said, reading off a paper Junpei had handed him.

Rolling his eyes, Kouji turned to Izumi and asked, "What do you see in him?"

"Sometimes, I wonder that myself," she replied with a sigh.

"Hey, Kouji, did Dad say when he's coming back from Hawaii?" Kouichi asked, looking at the ground below him, hands stuffed in his pockets.

Kouji muttered something under his breath, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking down, kicking the ground.

"What?"

"HE'LL BE GONE FOR A FREAKING YEAR!"

Kako blinked. "Wow, Kouji, you're going to go insane, huh?"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK!"

"Great," Kouichi said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. "Just great."

"Well," Kako murmured, sitting down on a swing once she reached it. "Think of it this way-more brotherly bonding."

"We've had enough for a lifetime," Kouichi answered dryly.

"You could always bug Hideki," she suggested hopefully.

Kouji made a face. "No thanks. He might insult me by calling me Kouichi."

Sighing, Izumi sat in the swing beside her cousin's. "When are we going to start the plan?" She thought it was a complete waste of time. What would Takuya see in her now?

"Three, two, one," Kouji muttered before yanking Kako out of the swing and yelling, "WHO WANTS ICE CREAM!"

"WE DO!" Junpei and Tomoki yelled, excited. They both ran over to Kouji, who marched off to find the nearest ice cream store.

"WHAT ABOUT ME!" Takuya yelled, about to run after them before Kako tripped him, causing him to nearly fall face-flat on the ground. "KAKO!" he growled as he caught himself.

Kako just grinned. "Sorry. It's the twins' treat. What flavor?"

"Chocolate, then."

"Great! Izumi?"

"I'm not hungry, thanks," she answered, swinging slowly, ignoring the creaks that the chains made.

"Okay. I'll get you something extra special, then!" Kako cheered, yanking Kouichi's hand. "Come on, slowpoke! Kouji's beating us!"

Kouichi groaned and followed her, turning his head and nodding at Izumi.

Izumi nodded and sighed, still swinging. _It's not going to work. What does it matter?_

"Uh...Izumi?" Takuya asked, sitting in the swing beside her. "You...are you okay?" he asked finally, looking at her.

She stayed quiet for about a second. "I...guess..."

"Is it because...I...well...keep avoiding you?"

Izumi said nothing.

Takuya sighed and pushed off from the ground, swinging back and forth. "You know, I don't really mean it...I guess...Izumi, I don't hate you," he told her desperately. "Do you hate me?"

"What...? I...I thought you hated me!" Izumi exclaimed, suddenly confused.

"But-"

"You-"

"And-"

"What-"

"Who-"

"We-"

"What?" they chorused, both suddenly confused. The two stared at each other, forgetting they were both on swings.

Izumi broke into a smile and laughed. "I thought you hated me..."

Smiling, Takuya shook his head and murmured, "It's funny how misunderstandings are made..."

"Yeah!"

"AHA! I TOLD YOU IT WOULD WORK, KAKO!" Kouji yelled, jumping out with an ice cream cone in hand. "YOU CAN CALL ME THE NEXT CUPID!"

"I'd rather puke," Kako retorted angrily. "If you become Cupid, everyone's going to suffer."

"Oh yeah!"

"YEAH!"

"BUT I GOT TAKUYA AND IZUMI BACK TOGETHER!"

"ANYONE COULD HAVE COME UP WITH AN IDEA LIKE THAT!"

"WOULD YOU TWO BE QUIET?" Kouichi yelled, whacking Kouji over the head and glaring at Kako. "I'd cover your mouth, but I have ice cream in one hand."

"I'll take the ice cream!"

"NO WAY!"

"Aww, so cute!" Kouji exclaimed. "Now to get those two together!"

Izumi and Takuya exchanged glances.

"Wanna go for a walk?" Takuya asked, hopping off the swing.

Izumi shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

As the two walked away, Tomoki and Junpei began arguing over who had more ice cream, Kouji began thinking up more devious plans for his Master Plan, and Kouichi began to eat his ice cream so Kako couldn't.

"I JUST FORGOT TO GIVE TAKUYA AND IZUMI THEIR ICE CREAMS!" Kako screamed in realization.

"Great going, Kako. More ice cream for you, right?" Kouichi replied sarcastically.

"Good point," Kako replied with a grin. _He'll regret he said that_, she thought, throwing one cone at Kouji, then another at Kouichi. "Care to eat it for me?"

_SHE'S GOING TO REGRET THAT!_ both twins thought, glaring at her. _One of these days...  
_

* * *

A/N-

.:Izumi:. That was pathetic, don't you think, Takuya?

.:Takuya:. REALLY pathetic. Almost as pathetic as Jason Toy.

.:Izumi:. Boys are so pathetic...

.:Kaea:. No kidding?

.:Takuya:. I'M STILL HERE, YOU KNOW!

.:Izumi:. Kaea, did you hear anything?

.:Kaea:. Nope. Anyway, the next chapter is going to be a week before winter break! FUN! Review, please! Arigatou! Thank you. Merci...er...Gracias!


	9. I Know Your Secret

Disclaimer-...can you believe it! KAEA STUCK ME WITH KOUJI! Oh, this is Junpei.

.:Kouji:. Junpei can't play video games! He's so stupid! You have to go right, not left!

.:Junpei:. Even Kaea said it was left!

.:Kouji:. BUT SHE DOESN'T OWN DIGIMON!

* * *

I Know Your Secret (A Week Before Holiday Break)

* * *

"Kouji, stop acting stupid," Kouichi snapped, watching his brother throw a snowball at Takuya.

"Aw, lighten up, bro! You can't _always_ study!" Kouji laughed as he blocked an incoming snowball.

"Even _if _we have Finals this week?" Kako asked with a grin.

Kouji laughed as he confirmed, "Even _if_ we ha-WHAT?"

Takuya and Junpei dropped the snowballs (made from ice off of random cars and the frozen dew off grass) in their hands.

"I _knew_ they weren't paying attention in class!" Kako squealed gleefully.

"Fine. I'll get you a birthday present _and_ a Christmas present," Kouichi grumbled as he headed for his locker.

Kako skipped beside him. "What are you going to give me? Huh? Huh? Huh!"

He rolled his eyes. "You'll see...on Christmas day, when you were _born_."

"But-"

"Stop bugging me!"

"WHAT FINALS?" Kouji and Takuya screamed, racing towards Kouichi.

Izumi walked up to them and asked, "What finals are we taking today and what did I miss?"

Kouichi sighed. "One, we're taking Lit, Math and Gym finals today. Two, I owe Kako a birthday _and_ a Christmas present because Kouji wasn't paying attention in class and thus doesn't know the existence of semester finals. Apparently, Takuya either forgot, or he's in the same boat as my twin who can be so stupid sometimes that I question his relation to me."

"OH...those finals," Takuya commented before turned stark white. "I...I FORGOT TO STUDY!"

As Takuya ran to his locker, Kako burst out laughing. "How can you still date him, Izumi!" she laughed.

Her cousin smiled. "Well, like I said before. We can't _all_ have what we want. It's not my fault your crush is-"

"Now _this_ I can stop studying for!" Kouichi exclaimed, cackling as he took out a pretzel. "Who's her crush?"

Kako was utterly confused. "I have a crush?" she asked doubtfully.

"Well, of course! Kouichi!" Izumi exclaimed in return, laughing as she walked after Takuya.

"EWWWW!" Kako squealed, edging away from Kouichi. "YUCK!"

Kouichi, who was currently choking on the pretzel he had accidentally popped into his mouth, was, of course, speechless. And not just because he was choking.

Seconds later, Kako noticed his hands were around his throat. "Uh...OH," she said, noticing the bag of pretzels in his locker. Glaring, she whacked Kouichi across the head. "YOU STUPID IDIOT!" _Why would I like someone who choked on a bag of pretzels!_

After coughing up the pretzel and throwing it away, Kouichi headed straight to class, not in the mood to talk to Kako or anyone else. _It's a good thing I knew Izumi was kidding! What was she thinking! She knows I'm afraid of girls! ARRGH! She and Kouji are the same. Only, Kouji is...dumber_, he thought grumpily, cracking open the classroom door and stopping when he heard Mr. Ogata's voice.

"_No,_ dammit! You two were supposed to stop them! _He's_ with them, too! You realize how much strength I wasted on him last time, remember? You're both useless!" his teacher yelled, slamming down the phone.

_What the...?_ Blinking, Kouichi turned around, registering all he had heard into his head. "He sounds like a crook," the boy muttered, about to head back to his locker when he realized something. "Crook equals plotting..." he murmured, "And plots need to be foiled. Then with that comes...money..."

Kouichi broke off into a grin. Wasn't _he_ lucky today. "Debts paid, Debt account and...extra money. Oh well, I can give it to some charity place. This is _too_ perfect," cackled the twin, yanking out a notebook and wondering what steps to take. Finally, he had a chance to pay all of is brothers debts...

**-FLASHBACK-**

It had been a normal day off of school. Only problem was Kouji was playing baseball...

_Inside_ the house.

"BOMBS AWAY!" Kouji had yelled, throwing the ball at Takuya.

Takuya swung the bat...

And missed. A crash sounded throughout the entire house.

"KOUJI!" Kouichi had screamed, racing into the living room in horror. Not only was a living room window broken, but his neighbor's window was broken as well. And to top it all of, the neighbors were at the door, angrily waiting for an explanation.

**-END FLASHBACK-**

It had ended with their mother paying for it, but warning the twins they needed to pay up. And so, yet again, Kouichi needed to get money. If only his mother allowed him to get a job...

But that was why Kouichi needed the money if there was a reward. Grinning, he murmured to himself, "They better pay a good price."

"Price?" someone asked.

Kouichi shut his notebook, turned red, and froze in his spot. "Wha..." he turned around to find Ai behind him, smiling. "Er...er...er..." he stuttered.

"Ooh! You write? Mind if I read!" she asked, snatching the notebook away from his hands.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Kouichi yelled, grabbing his notebook back and hugging it. "E-er...I mean, no. I...er...have to...uh...edit it!" lied the still red-faced boy. He turned around, trying to calm down. Before Kouichi could so much as run away, Ai tugged on the collar of his jacket. Wincing, he turned around. "Yes?"

She just smiled. "I know your secret."

"Uh...right," Kouichi said, rolling his eyes and walking off. _Why was I afraid of _her_? She's not that bad at all_, he wondered.

Ai ran after him. "But I do! And I'm going to tell they entire school if you don't go out with me!" she sang.

Laughing, Kouichi turned around to face her. "You sound so sure! So then, what's my secret?" he asked, still laughing.

She smirked and leaned up to his ear, whispering something.

Kouichi turned white.

Just as the bell rang, a loud scream sounded throughout the halls.

* * *

Kouichi walked into the classroom, incredibly pale.

"I've never seen this before! This is awesome!" Kouji exclaimed immediately, watching his brother trip over a backpack but still say nothing.

"Kouichi?" Kako called out, waving a hand in front of his face. The morning's events were obviously erased from her brain.

Ai giggled and followed closely behind Kouichi. "So, at five, right, Kouichi?"

Still pale, Kouichi nodded.

Kako's jaw dropped and Takuya and Izumi gasped. Kouji could only stare in confusion, wondering what had happened to his brother.

"Wh...wh...wh-wh-...WHAT!" Kako yelled, jumping out of her seat furiously. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!"

"She...knows...my...secret," Kouichi mumbled as he sat down and saw Mr. Ogata walk into the classroom. "I'm doomed..."

"What secret?"

The younger twin was equally pale. "The one even _I_ don't know about!"

"OH! I know that one!" Izumi gasped, snapping her fingers in remembrance.

Takuya flashed her a confused look. "Which one?"

Izumi leaned over and whispered in his ear so Kako or Kouji couldn't hear, then pulled away. A satisfied smirk decorated her face.

"OH! That one. Yeah, you're right. That'll do them some good," commented Takuya with a grin.

"Yup!" Izumi giggled.

"TELL ME!" Kako cried desperately, slamming her hands on Takuya's desk.

"But-" Takuya started.

Kouichi covered the goggle head's mouth furiously. "NO."

Kako glared at him for a solid minute before stomping back to her seat, repeatedly kicking Kouichi's chair.

Mr. Ogata waited as the second bell rang, then announced, "Exam time. You know the drill-er...Kako, are you okay?"

"I'm FINE," Kako snapped, kicking Kouichi's seat harder than before.

The teacher stared. "Very well. Clear your desks and get out a number two pencil..."

* * *

After school ended for the day, Kouichi lagged behind the rest, wishing he had someone to talk to. Ever since the first day, the entire class deemed the digi-destined a bunch of 'weirdos' and ignored all their random babbling about Digimon and pretty much ignored them in general. So, when Takuya muttered about how hard the test was compared to Lucemon, no one cared.

Then there was Ai. How had she known his secret? He could understand how Izumi or Takuya knew, but Ai...

How could she figure out whom he liked?

It was strange to be afraid of girls and yet be in love with one, but Kouichi figured that was the way life worked. But he had never been so scared as he was when Kako kept kicking his chair. He had sworn he heard her crying. And he learned never to make Kako cry. It resulted in pain worse than death.

Staring ahead at his friends, Kouichi decided to visit the bookstore. He did so, most often when he was bored, and right now, he really needed some good books or manga. "'Lo, Mr. Saito," he mumbled, walking past the friendly bookstore clerk.

"Bad day?" Mr. Saito guessed. He was in his mid-twenties, much like Kako's brother.

The reminder of Kako was enough to make _Kouichi_ want to cry.

"Heeeeeello, Mr. Saito-head," a deep voice greeted the clerk. Kouichi looked up to see a raven-haired man walk in, stopping as soon as he saw Kouichi. "YOU! Kako came home crying! What'd you do?" he yelled furiously, pointing at Kouichi.

Kouichi winced visibly. "Uh...hi, Hideki," he muttered, picking up a volume 10 Zoids: Chaotic Century book off the shelf and hiding his face behind it. _Maybe he won't hurt me if he sees how cowardly I am..._

"No, seriously, what'd you do? I've never been able to make her cry! I wanna learn!" Hideki said in awe.

Startled, Kouichi threw the book at Hideki. "DON'T BE STUPID! You're her _brother_. You're supposed to make her feel _better_!" he screamed, picking up the fallen book and putting it back on the shelf. "You people are so stupid!" Saying so, Kouichi ran out after saying a quick goodbye to Mr. Saito.

Mr. Saito chuckled as Hideki stood at the doorway, blinking, baffled. "Kids nowadays."

* * *

_Five o' clock came way too soon_, Kouichi gulped and looked away as he rang the doorbell to Ai's house.

Ai answered the door with a smile. "Hey Kouichi!" she giggled, leaning forward as if to kiss him.

Kouichi stepped back. "Er, right. Can we get this over with?" The air was cold and dry, and it was almost sunset. "Where do you want to go?"

"A fancy restaurant?"

He twitched. "Do I look like I'm rich?"

"A...regular restaurant?"

"Look, I don't have that much money on me right now..." _Mostly Kouji's fault._

"Fine! Where do _you_ want to go?" Ai snapped angrily.

_Home_. "Uh...uh...the...uh, the park?"

"OOH! Yeah! Let's go!"

Practically seething, Kouichi allowed her to hug onto his arm.

_PUSH HER OFF!_ a voice screamed.

Yet another voice answered, _That's not nice, though._

_But it's not her spot! It's _our _arm!_

_Don't you belong to Kouji? _

Ew, no! I'm the side of you that's rebellious! PUSH HER IN THE MUD! YOU MISSED _THE MUD! _

Kouichi cringed as he passed a mud puddle. At this rate, he'd die from an overload of thoughts from each side of the argument rattling in his brain.

"Ew. Isn't that Kako?" Ai asked disgustedly.

Kouichi looked up from his shoes to find Kako on the swing, talking to a few children animatedly. Before he could step toward her, Ai held him back. "ACk! Wha-?" he yelped as he nearly fell face flat on the side walk, but luckily caught himself.

"So you want the entire school to know?" she asked venomously.

"...well...no," Kouichi answered truthfully. After a moment's thought, he snapped, "But they'd find out eventually." _Sheesh, Ai's even more annoying than Crusadermon was..._

Ai huffed, "Fine! I'll make sure to include it in the announcements, then!"

Kouichi watched as she walked away. _I'm free today. Tomorrow, I'm dead,_ he thought with a sigh. A drop of water fell onto his nose. "What-" Looking up, he saw a few more drops fall to the ground. Little children ran around, giggling madly as they jumped through the soon made puddles, eventually searching for cover as it began to pour harder. Kouichi watched Kako swing through the rain for a while before walking over, taking off his jacket and throwing it over her head.

Kako nearly fell out of the swing in surprise, only saved by swinging into Kouichi, who caught either of the swing's chains. "AHHH! Oh...you," she murmured, turning around and seeing Kouichi. Quietly, she looked up and removed the jacket from her head, throwing it back at him.

He just smiled and yanked her hand with one of his own, putting his jacket over her head with the other. "Come on. Let's get you home before you get sick."

"What? But your date-" Kako started, shocked.

He laughed. "Everyone'll know by tomorrow. It doesn't matter."

Kako fell silent. "So will you tell me now?"

"Nope."

"Hey!"

"You'll find out soon. First, tell me why you were crying," Kouichi ordered in a grave tone, ruffling her hair under the jacket.

She threw him a glare as she asked, "Who told you?"

"Hideki. He sounded happy about it."

"WHAT!" she yelled angrily. "What do you _mean_, happy?"

"Said I was the only person who made you cry or something."

"ARGh! That jerk..." she growled. After a second of silence, she murmured, "That's not completely true."

Without warning, Kouichi wrapped his hands around Kako from behind.

Kako looked back at him. "K-...Kouichi?"

In turn, he smiled back apologetically. "I'm a bit cold."

"Idiot."

"Hey..."

As the two kept walking, they continued poking fun at each other, laughing despite the rain.

Tomorrow would come, Kouichi was certain, but it didn't matter anymore. As long as _she_ didn't know.

And he was fairly certain she wouldn't.

* * *

A/N-

Awww...how cute. That must be really awkward to walk like that. .:snickers:. I'm a bit depressed, I hate homework, and I LOVED writing this chapter. It was so freaking awesome. Review, please, and...er...I'm getting to the main plot. The side plots were important, though! I'm sorry! Sheesh, don't kill me! XP Actually, no one killed me for the side plots. But they _are_ important-

.:Kouji:. WEREN'T _WE_ SUPPOSED TO DO THIS A/N?

.:Junpei:. Kaea says review. Tell us if you want more Kouji torture, less Kouji torture, more romance, less romance, or yada yada...and Kouichi's going through looking for mistakes again...:sweatdrops:.

.:Kaea:. .:grumbles:. Stupid Kouichi. Just because I made you be nice to Kako...well, review!

.:Kouichi:. Kaea! I found 12 errors! WITHOUT spell check! Review and tell us if you think Kaea's stupid or not!

.:Kaea:. REVIEW AND TELL US IF YOU WANT KOUICHI TORTURED! Because I'm gonna do a LOT more Kouichi torture…

.:Kouichi:. Spell check found at least two more errors! AND YOU SPELLED MY NAME WRONG!

.:Kaea:. .:grins:. Review, please!


	10. New Discoveries

Disclaimer- Izumi here...

.:Tomoki:. Yeah! I get paired with all the cool people!

.:Kouji:. Why am I here?

.:Tomoki:. Hey! Why is Kouji here! He's not cool! HE SNORES!

.:Kouji:. DO NOT!

.:Izumi:. ...ignore the boys. Really, the point is that Kaea doesn't own Digimon! WHY DO YOU PEOPLE ALWAYS MAKE THE DISCLAIMERS SO LONG!

------------------------------------

New Discoveries

------------------------------------

By the time Kouichi got home, it was around nine. The rain poured down harder than it had before, and there was occasionally thunder. Yet, despite the gray cold of his surroundings, Kouichi was oddly happier than ever; strange to say, he didn't think he even wanted to torture Kouji.

"I'm back," he called out as he stepped into the living room after discarding his shoes at the door.

"Kouichi, you should have come home earlier! It's pouring out there!" his mother exclaimed, walking over and examining him. "You'd better go wash up. Why were you so late, anyway?"

Kouji, who was on the couch playing videogames, paused to look at his twin. "Did you get caught up in kissing Ai?" he teased.

Kouichi just smiled and headed to the bathroom, but not before murmuring, "Who said anything about Ai?"

The younger of the two nearly dropped the controller in his hand. "What? Who were you with!"

His question was never answered.

---------------------------------------

"I wanna know!" Kako yelled furiously, yanking on both of Kouichi's ears. "WHAT ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT!"

_My ears!_ Kouichi's mind screamed in pain as Kako pulled on his ears even more. "THEN ASK!" he finally yelled, unable to bear the torture. _I can only hope she doesn't find out. Please, no one tell her,_ he begged silently.

While the class was taking a break between tests, everyone was goofing off but Ai and a boy named Kanaye. Both were talking to Mr. Ogata who seemed so stern that Kouichi wondered if they failed a test.

_Tch. Poor Ai, _Kouichi thought, smirking as the girl turned around and glared at him. His attention switched to his brother, whom was getting tortured by Kako at the moment. "What'd he do now?" Kouichi asked Takuya in an exasperated voice.

Takuya chuckled. "Told her the truth."

"She doesn't believe it," added Izumi.

Kouichi sighed and shook his head. "He's not my brother. I _told_ him not to tell...then again, pretty much no one believes him..."

"We know, but when do you plan to tell _her_?"

"Yeah," Takuya asked, "shouldn't you tell her soon?"

"I will. Just...not until her birthday," Kouichi replied evenly as he flipped his book open. "Finals are so stupid."

Kako walked over and stared at the book. "Then don't study! I'm tired," she complained as she took her seat.

In response, Kouichi sneezed. "R-right..."

"Are you sick?" Kako asked, alarmed.

"No-"

"I made you sick, didn't I!" Kako demanded, standing up and walking over so she could face him better.

Kouichi shook his head. "I'm fi-" Before he could finish, he ended with a sneeze. Looking up, he saw Kako near tears. "ACK! NO! Don't cry!" he yelped, panicking. Usually, when Kako was near crying, it meant death, as he had nearly experienced the day before.

At least...that's what she said. He _still_ wasn't sure if the rule always applied.

"I-I'll sing if you stop crying!" Kouichi blurted, immediately regretting he had done so, as Kako only continued to cry. Helplessly, Kouichi looked to Izumi in askance, "Help?"

Izumi smiled and murmured something to her cousin. Almost immediately, Kako stopped wailing and returned to her seat.

The boys stared at Izumi in amazement, then looked at Kako in confusion.

Finally, Kouji asked, "Is there some secret about Kako we don't know?"

Kako glared at him. "I've known Kouichi since fourth grade! He knows pretty much everything about me!"

"Wow...now I _really_ pity Kouichi," Kouji muttered, turning around just as Kako almost threw her notebook at him.

But she hesitated. Instead, she put down the notebook and threw her binder at him.

"OW!"

"CLASS SETTLE DOWN!" Mr. Ogata commanded angrily. "Before we move on to the Biology final that I will supervise in place of Ms. Kawai, I have some...progress reports." As he said the last two words, he practically sneered at Kouichi, who merely glared back.

Over the first half of the school year, the day would almost _always_ start off with an argument between Mr. Ogata and Kouichi, and ended with an argument between the two. In between the day, there would be at _least_ one or two more arguments, but on good days, there would only be what Kouichi considered the 'mandatory two.'

So, of course, Kouichi expected a 'progress report.' Yet, instead of grades, Mr. Ogata would talk about behavior.

Just as the paper hit his desk, Kouichi smirked. He had the _perfect_ idea.

-----------------------------------

"I just need you to set up for me! Mr. Aizawa'll give me the key, I'm sure!" Kouichi begged his twin. _Why the Digimon am I begging for Kouji's help?_

Kouji shook his head in disbelief. His twin was plotting. _HIS_ twin. The one who almost always did well in school. _Kouichi_. "YOU? Out of all people..."

"This is about exposing Mr. Ogata for what he truly is! Whatever it is..." Kouichi muttered. "BUT I NEED PROOF!"

"Fine, _Detective_ Kouichi. I shall aid you in your pathetic quest!" For once, Kouji was too preoccupied to think of his 'Master Plan.'

Grinning, Kouichi dragged his brother back to campus, as they were ten feet in front of it (Kouichi making sure his plan was fool-proof), heading straight for Mr. Aizawa's office. He knocked on the door and waited patiently. Receiving no answer, Kouichi frowned and opened the door, finding a key and a camcorder on the desk, a note under both items.

"What?" the twins gasped in shock after they read the letter.

"But how'd he know!" Kouichi sputtered, pocketing the key and handing his brother the camcorder. "Set it up behind the 'Scribbles' portrait like the note says. And just wait here. Mom'll be here in a half an hour."

Kouji watched his twin run off and shook his head, muttering, "I'm rubbing off on him."

Indeed, he was.

------------------------------------

Mr. Ogata sat in his chair, staring at the table in front of him, twitching every few seconds. A knock on the door, however, snapped him out of his thoughts. "Er...c-come in," he stuttered, staring at his wristwatch. _She's early._

Miss Kimura walked into the room, for once not smiling.

From his place under a few desks in the back, Kouichi was surprised when she didn't greet his teacher, but instead sat down, frowning at him. _Go Mom,_ he thought, grinning slightly.

Mr. Ogata stared at Kouichi's mother. _How could she be their mother?_ he wondered, clearing his throat. "Hello, Mrs.-"

"Miss," she corrected.

"Huh?"

"I'm _divorced_."

Had his hiding place been soundproof, Kouichi would have laughed and laughed, but as it wasn't, he merely repositioned himself, yanking his hand away from what appeared to be a black feather. But he brushed it away and returned his attention to the conference.

"Ah, Miss Kimura, then. It...uh...occurs to me that, uh, your son-er...sons, are a bit...perplexing..."

Miss Kimura frowned. "They _are_ only teenagers."

He gulped. This was too much for him to handle. _Who knew parent-teacher conferences were so nerve-wracking?_ "N-Nevertheless, er...would you like to go out for dinner?" he blurted.

Puzzled, Kouichi's mother stood up. "Uh...if that's all, I'll be leaving now. Kouichi must have dinner ready by now."

"No-wait-ACK!" the teacher yelled, falling over his desk as he tried going after her. But she had already left. "Argh...dammit! How could she be the mother of those monsters! So much for sending them to boarding school," he muttered to himself.

"HAH! CAUGHT IT ALL ON TAPE! HOW DARE YOU TRY TO HIT ON MY MOTHER!" Kouichi yelled, jumping out of his hiding place and pointing an accusing finger at his teacher.

The man snorted. "That assertion isn't substantiated, _KID_."

"YOUR INTEGRITY SUCKS!"

"HAH! I've seen the way Kako looks at you. She likes you, and you're breaking her heart by breaking rules. You could get in trouble you know. I ought to tell her..."

_How the Digimon is that relevant?_ "AT LEAST _I_ DON'T SAY I'M FOURTY WHEN I'M ONLY TWENTY SOMETHING!"

"SHUT UP YOU CONTEMPTUOUS BRAT!"

"Who're you calling a brat, you condescending dictatorial freak?"

"You...you haughty three year old!"

"Shut up! At least I don't date people twice my age!"

"Why are you here? This conversation is futile!"

"To impede your oh-so-obscure plan to fail me, duh! You're so biased, just because I foil your every single move, you hate me, and always try failing me, but really, you don't know anything about teaching! You don't have a grading system, pick favorites, and all that junk! You don't even _have_ a plan! KOUJI'S smarter!"

"Big words for a big brat. How MATCHING."

"Insipid freak."

"YOU'RE INSIPID! I'M NOT DILATORY!"

"Yeah you are."

"FOOL!"

"You are. You can't even come up with your own insults. YOU'RE insipid, and THAT'S THAT. Hi, Mom. Guess what I've got?" Kouichi asked dryly, seeing his mother stand at the doorway, blinking.

"I forgot my bag..." she mumbled, picking up her bag from the chair and walking out of the classroom in a stupor.

"HAH! I WIN!" Kouichi yelled, sticking out his tongue and running after his mother. That was enough proof for a lifetime. Now to examine Mr. Ogata's behavior in the tape...

-----------------------------------------

When Kouichi got home, he found Kouji using his karaoke set, singing completely off-tune. "KOUJI! PUT THAT AWAY!" he screamed in horror, covering his brother's mouth and quickly putting everything away after more than five minutes worth of careful inspection for any damage whatsoever.

Kouji stuck out his tongue, then grinned and waved at his mother. "Hey, Mom, why does Kouichi have a karaoke set if he doesn't use it?" he asked, laughing as Kouichi tripped over a wire and fell on the couch.

"PRIVATE USE ONLY!" the older twin yelled.

The other snickered, "Whatever. And Kako called."

That seemed to get Kouichi's interest. "Why?" he asked, storing the karaoke set back in his room.

"Call her ba-ack!" Kouji sang, walking to his room.

Puzzled, Kouichi picked up the phone and walked to his room as he dialed Kako's number. "Uh...hi, Kako? This is Kouichi..."

"Eh? Oh, why'd you call?" Kako's tone was clearly one of confusion.

Kouichi stepped out of his room, his eyes narrowing on the door to Kouji's room. "Does the word 'Kouji' mean anything to you?" he asked casually as he walked into his younger twin's room.

"Your brother?"

"Nope, imposter. Later." As he said the last word, Kouichi hung up and kicked his brother's chair. "IDIOT!"

Kouji yelped and dropped the object he'd been examining. "NO! Where'd it go!" he panicked.

Sighing exasperatedly, Kouichi picked up a pure white feather. "The only bird brain in the house I can think of is you. How'd you get this?" he asked, examining the feather himself before handing it back to Kouji.

"Found it."

"Where?"

"Aizawa's office. Strange thing was, I found the blackest feather in Mr. Ogata's room while taping. You brushed it forward," Kouji muttered, placing the feather on his desk. "That feather reminds me of Ophanimon and Seraphimon, and...a bit of Cherubimon."

Kouichi fell silent. "Kouji, that's..."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Keep it. You just might ace a final exam this year."

Kouji scowled and made a face as his brother exited the room.

_Something's not right_, both brothers thought as their mother called them for dinner. _There's a bigger story going on... _

But what is it?

-----------------------------------------------

A/N-

I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER TO PUT UP! But I'm in a good mood. I also took forever with reviews, too. Finally put those up in my LJ. Romance and Humor await this stories future. I'll update soon, I promise! This is the actually EDITED copy. Sorry about the other copy. And I'm sorry this is a short chapter! .:squirms:.

.:Kouichi:. THERE WERE TONS OF MISTAKES, IDIOT!

…review or flame, please…


	11. Strange Dreams, Strange Happenings

Disclaimer-.:Kouichi:. Izumi's forcing us to be straightforward. Takuya, your turn.

.:Takuya:. We-er...I meant, Kaea doesn't own Digimon. She just wants to.

.:Junpei:. Because she's a LOSER!

.:Kouichi:. Actually, she's not a loser. She's a slacker. Takuya and Junpei are losers in comparison to me.

.:Izumi:. WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT MAKING THE DISCLAIMER LONG!

* * *

Strange Dreams, Strange Happenings

* * *

Sleep hardly came to Kouichi that night. His dreams were plagued with laughter, and he knew exactly _whose_ laughter it was.

Lucemon's laughter.

This had happened before, a few months after he had gotten out of the hospital. Dreams of Lucemon laughing as if he had actually succeeded in coming to the real world and taken it over, then there was a scream of agony...

_And then pure white feathers._

Kouichi sat up in bed, wiping the sweat from his face. There had once been a risk of Lucemon rising into power once more, but that threat had long passed. Why would he wait four years before attacking?

Looking at the time, Kouichi found it was 6:18 A.M. _Almost time for school_, he thought, getting ready for school as quick as he could. As he stepped into the kitchen, the strange sight of Kouji making breakfast awaited him.

"Kouji, how many pots did you blow up while I was asleep?" he asked the younger twin, getting milk from the refrigerator.

His brother flipped the egg in the skillet. "Couldn't sleep. You?"

"I had a weird dream." Mentally, Kouichi added to himself, _yet again_.

"Wacky Lucemon laugh, then feathers?"

Both boys exchange looks, then frowned.

Kouichi looked at the milk carton in his hand, then put it back in the fridge and pushed Kouji away from the stove. "It's _still_ undercooked. Go call everyone else over for breakfast. I'll make the food."

* * *

As soon as everyone was over and Kouichi had finished making breakfast, they all sad down to eat.

"We have less than fifteen minutes. Let's skim through this. We all had evil Luce-laugh and feathers in our dreams, right?" Takuya asked, finishing his food as fast as possible.

Everyone nodded.

"Well," Kouji continued, "Kouichi and I discovered two feathers yesterday."

"Kouji found a white feather in Mr. Aizawa's office," Kouichi informed them.

Nodding, Junpei guessed, "And the black one in the video, right? Kouji told me yesterday."

"Why did you tape that conference, anyway?" Izumi asked, glancing at the clock. "We better start for school."

"Aw, tell me about it later!" Tomoki yelled before racing out the door as he slung his backpack on.

The rest of them headed to their school, discussing what the dream possibly meant.

"We _could_ just be going insane," Junpei muttered.

Takuya had to agree. "Yeah, we _do_ tend to talk about digimon and the digital world on a daily basis."

Kouichi stopped dead in his tracks, staring at a TV in an electronic store that had been put up for display. "Something doesn't feel right, though...it's to..."

"Hey! The TV went all staticky! Now it's back! Now static! Now-" Kouji frowned. "HAH! Those TVs are so messed up. Who would buy _them_!"

Gritting his teeth, Kouichi dragged his brother the rest of the way to school as he argued, "I don't think we're going insane. _I_ might have, when I had this dream after I got out of the hospital, but don't you think it's a bit _too_ convenient that we _all_ had the same dream?" A frown was apparent on his face as he looked at Takuya and Junpei, waiting for their answer.

"I said we _could_ be. Never said we were," corrected Junpei. Then the older boy asked, "But we beat Lucemon. How could he come back, anyway?"

"The same way Ophanimon, Seraphimon and Cherubimon came back. Through a digi-egg."

Kouji's eyes widened. "You don't think-but we destroyed the egg!"

"It's a possibility that Lucemon's still alive. He could be after our world again. And Ophanimon and the rest had _their_ data scanned, too, but they made it. We can't be too sure about anything."

"You guys came to school late. Not that it matters. Grandpa's office was completely totaled yesterday," Kako said, covering Kouichi's eyes from behind as she stood on her tiptoes. "Guess who."

Kouichi turned around with no warning, his mouth open in shock. "WHAT!"

Kako turned red and pushed him away. "Er, as I was saying..."

_W-what did I do?_ Kouichi rubbed his arm. "Anyone know what happened?"

She smiled crookedly. "I think Gramps does. But there's an awful lot of feathers..."

"WE'RE BACK IN BUSINESS!" Takuya yelled excitedly, racing to the principal's office in hopes of finding any clues.

Everyone else followed him, only a few feet behind.

Takuya gaped at the mess in front of him once he reached Mr. Aizawa's office. "Huh...who...there are...feathers _everywhere_..."

Indeed, Mr. Aizawa's office was a mess. The door hung off the hinges, the window had cracks and holes, and the desk and chair were broken to bits. Amongst scattered papers, there were dull white feathers and black ones as well. All in all, the entire room looked as if it had been hit by a tornado.

Izumi yelped as she hopped over a shard of glass. "What happened!"

Kouji examined the room before ducking under the caution tape and walking over o examine the portrait from which he had filmed from the previous day.

_"Damn these feathers..." _

"Really, you're so pathetic sometimes. How could you leave behind feathers!"

"Shut up! Instead of wasting my time on you two, I should have just warped Ch-"

The voices stopped. Kouji backed away from the portrait, nearly tripping as he ducked under the caution tape yet again and dragged his friends further down the hall, away from eavesdroppers. "Houston, we have a problem."

"I'll roger that," Kouichi muttered, banging his head against the wall. "How stupid! It's so obvious..."

"What is?" Takuya asked as they all edged away from the room and ran to their lockers.

Kouichi stopped, signaling the rest of them to do the same. As he covered Kako's mouth, he replied in a grim voice, "I know Lucemon's plan."

* * *

The rest of the week went more smoothly for all of them. Kouichi hadn't told anyone his thoughts on Lucemon's plan despite constant protest from Kako (who had realized Kouichi wouldn't spill his secret anytime soon and decided to bug him about Lucemon's plan instead) and the rest.

Ms. Kawai, Mr. Ogata and Mr. Aizawa were hardly ever present. Ms. Kawai and Mr. Aizawa's lack of presence caused Kako to become immensely depressed. And to make matters worse, Mr. 'L' had taken over the class and had an incredibly short fuse as school neared holiday break. The only plus side to that was that Kouichi remained invisible for those few days.

As the last bell of the day sounded that Friday, signaling the start of holiday break, Kako walked between her cousin and Kouichi rather glumly. On the other side of Izumi, Takuya and Junpei were arguing about some game and on the other side of Kouichi, Kouji was talking to his twin about something else. Eventually, Tomoki ran over and joined Takuya's side.

"You go _right_. Right is _always_ right," Takuya snapped.

Junpei countered easily. "No, you go _left_. RIGHT is a DEAD END."

"Right!"

"Left!"

"RIGHT!"

"It's _left_, Takuya. Junpei's correct," Kako muttered with a sigh.

Kouichi watched as Junpei cheered. "I'm right!" the older boy yelled.

"No, you go left," corrected Takuya smugly.

As Junpei tried strangling the goggle boy and Tomoki burst into laughter, Kouichi averted his gaze to Kako. "You okay?" he asked gently, tilting his head to the side.

Kako looked up at him. "Hideki and Rai had a fight, Hideki won't talk to me, Rai isn't here, Gramps isn't here, and Dad's on a business trip as usual. I miss Mom..."

Silently, Kouichi looked at the ground before him. He remembered Kako's mother vaguely. All he really remembered was that about the time he was in the hospital recovering, she had died. But that was all he knew.

"Are you spending Christmas alone?" he finally asked, looking away from her.

Kako shook her head. "No. I'm staying over at Mr. Saito's bookstore. He's Rai-er...Ms. Kawai's friend. So I can ask him what happened to her..."

"Oh..."

She rose an eyebrow and looked at him. _Did he just sound disappointed or am I hearing things?_

"Anyway, are you free anytime next week? I was thinking we could all go to the movies or something."

"Typical. I'm free all of next week. What's today? The 18th? or something? Er, yeah, the 18th. So I've got nothing. I'm only busy the 22nd for Christmas present shopping, but I might be able to get them tomorrow."

He was silent for a while. "Okay. Everyone has to be free on Sunday all day or I hire Kouji to hunt you down and murder you," he announced.

"Why?" Takuya asked.

Izumi rolled her eyes as she turned to him. "Takuya, it's the holidays. We spend at least _one_ day together over breaks, remember?"

"That's not what I meant. I meant, why do you want to murder us if we don't come? Because I kinda promised Shinya..."

Kouichi twitched. "Monday?"

"...Christma-OH! I GOT IT! WE'LL DO OUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING TOGETHER ON MONDAY!" Takuya yelled.

Kako blinked. "That's the first smart idea you've mentioned all day," she commented, ignoring the glare he gave her in return.

Kouji sighed. "So I can't murder anyone?"

His brother patted his shoulder and replied, "You can murder Lucemon. Or Mr. Ogata. They're one and the same. One has paradise punch, the other has homework punch. I just _know_ he failed me on purpose..."

Kako smiled at him momentarily until she saw her brother walking a few feet ahead of them. "Er...I guess I better go," she said running over to Hideki and waving back at everyone. "See you guys Monday!"

Kouichi waved back smiling, and continued waving until Kouji whacked the back of his head.

"Idiot, stop waving," Kouji muttered, edging away from his brother.

"STUPIDITY TRANSFER!" Takuya shouted, suddenly pointing at the twins.

"You know," Kouichi said, walking ahead with the rest of them and leaving Takuya behind, "I wonder if your stupidity was transferred to Takuya."

Kouji snorted, "Found it's rightful owner, then."

Izumi hit both of them over the head with her biology book. "Hey, only Kako and I can insult Takuya!"

"But I didn't insult him," muttered Kouichi, cringing as he rubbed his newly made wound before digging into his pocket for the house key. He quickly opened the door and threw his backpack on the ground, humming as he ran into the kitchen to make something to eat.

As they all eventually came in, Junpei asked, "Is Kouichi okay?"

"Yeah, he seems..." Tomoki started, trying to find the correct word.

"Happy?" supplied Kouji, snorting. "He's been like that almost all week."

"Wow...scary."

"D'you think Ai did something to him?" wondered Izumi.

Takuya shook his head. "Kako said he ditched Ai and that's why she told everyone."

"No, she only told a few people," Kouji muttered. "I never found out." _And my master plan, which I nearly forgot about, nearly went into dust. But I have a new plan! Sucker! _

Izumi laughed and headed to the kitchen to check up on Kouichi. "Need any help?"

"Nah, I'm good," Kouichi returned good-naturedly. "Where do you think we should meet for the Christmas shopping?"

"No clue..." Izumi stared at Kouichi as he poured some chocolate chips into the batter. "Say, Kouichi, is it true, then?"

He faced her with a small smile on his face. "Well..."

She laughed, "But you know, you said you're afraid of girls. And-"

"I know, but, you know, I've known Kako since fourth grade."

"So when-"

"Well...seventh grade. And that's part of the reason I'm scared of girls," he added quickly.

"And about the _other_ rumor..." Izumi grinned slyly.

Kouichi nearly dropped the bowl in his arms. "What other rumor?"

"Well, _Kako_ said you have pink boxers, but-"

"HOW WOULD SHE KNOW EVEN IF I DID!" Kouichi screamed, turning red. Coughing, he added, "Uhm, and I don't."

"Uh huh."

"I _DON'T_."

"You don't what?" Kouji asked excitedly, running to the kitchen.

Izumi laughed as she replied, "He's denying the secret you don't know."

"Well, whatever it is, it's true, then!" Kouji declared, running back to the living room.

Kouichi sighed. "_Kouji_ has pink polka dot boxers."

"TOO MUCH INFO!" exclaimed Izumi as she turned red.

"Well, he _does_. He thought it was amusing."

Izumi rolled her eyes. "One thing I'll never understand...boys."

* * *

A/N-

Was this a longer chapter? Or did I totally screw something up? I have no clue what the hell I do anymore. Oh, credits for the pink boxer idea goes to **The Light's Refrain**. XP I was cracking up when I read that in your review. I hope you don't mind I added it. And credits for 'Stupidity Transfer' are only half mine. The other half goes to** Sora Keyblade**, who I was SUPPOSED to IM yesterday night, but my Dad is so dumb, he hogged the online connection. We have dial up. It sucks. Sorry, I'm falling behind in updating.

Review. Tell me if you want more humor or romance or angst or whatever. There's going to be a lot of romance about...two chapters from now, I believe, if all goes well. The next chapter and third chapter from now should be big humor chapters. Third chapter from now should have Kouichi going all angsty. That's the plan. Now...off to plot ways to eradicate my dad from the computer. Is that even a correct sentence?


	12. Christmas Shopping

Disclaimer- .:Izumi:. Okay, I'M making this short. Kouichi, your turn.

.:Kouichi:. Kaea doesn't own Digimon. And you're welcome, Izumi.

* * *

Christmas Shopping

* * *

"Yey! Shopping!" Kako squealed, skipping merrily in front of everyone else.

Snickering, Junpei whispered to Tomoki, "Just another girl."

Kako stopped to turn and glare at him. "I _heard_ that! Clothes shopping is _ick_. _Game and gift_ shopping is...AWESOME!"

Izumi just smiled. "That reminds me...I have a little place we all have to visit at the end," she said, eyes directed at Kako who was too busy bouncing around to pay attention.

"Whatever," Kouichi sighed, walking past them all. "Let's go."

Returning to her usually hyper self, Kako literally dragged Kouichi over to a store. "Here first," she ordered, letting go of his arm and quickly disappearing into the shop, leaving Kouichi to blink.

Candles. "Kako, what's so interesting about _candles_?" Kouichi asked, exasperated as he walked into the store.

Picking up a candles and tossing it to him, she replied, "Spearmint. Cool, icy and calming, but sweet."

Takuya looked at Kouji in askance as the rest of them entered the store, but the bandana head merely shrugged.

"Bubblegum. Annoyingly hard to chew, but fun," Kako said, throwing a candle at Kouji this time.

Kouji winced as the candle bounced off his forehead before falling into his hands. "Aim better," he muttered, rubbing his head.

"Cinnamon, enough to spice things up. Lilac, smooth," continued the girl, throwing the first candle to Takuya and the second to Izumi. "Tropical Rose, truly unique and Ocean Breeze, always thinking clearly." The last two candles she handed to Junpei and Tomoki.

"I don't get it," Tomoki confessed, examining the light blue candle in his hand. "WHere does it say that?"

"It doesn't."

Everyone stared at her.

Smiling, Kako explained, "A person is like a candle. Each has it's own unique scent, but the all have the ability to burn bright."

"You mean you made that all up on the spot!" Takuya asked in awe.

She shook her head. "I used to have a long list of scents and matching personalities, but I think Hideki threw it away by accident. Those are the few that I remember."

Kouji grinned. "So, you're going to own a candle shop when you grow up, then, candle girl?"

"Possibly."

His jaw dropped. "I was _kidding_," Kouji said hastily.

Kako shrugged. "I was serious. Anyway, keep these. They're on me."

"What about you?" Kouichi asked suddenly.

"Wha...?"

"What candle scent are you most like?"

She smiled as she paid for the candles. "Vanilla."

Izumi frowned at her cousin. "Kako, you told me that vanilla was-"

"Pointless," Kako continued, still smiling, "Vanilla is _pointless_."

Quietly, Kouichi picked up a vanilla scented candle and paid for it, pocketing the candle as he walked after the others. _Pointless, huh?_

He smiled, watching his friends laugh as Kako whacked his brother for some comment he had said.

_I'd have to say otherwise.  
_

* * *

"Hey, Junpei, remember what you said earlier? About Kako being like every other girl? I think you should rethink that," Tomoki advised as he dropped the bags he was carrying so he could catch his breath.

"Ooh! Video games!" Kako yelled, attempting to race into the store.

Kouichi caught her arm. "No way. We've done enough shopping for _ten_ Christmases. I'm starting to think Junpei's holding more weight than ten books."

"But-"

"NO."

Kako sighed. _But I don't want to go yet_, she thought, glumly looking at Junpei who was carrying four full bags and having trouble balancing them. "Fine," she finally surrendered, slumping as she headed for the exit.

"Not so fast!" exclaimed her cousin. "Last stop today is _that_ way!" Izumi pointed to a store that seemed to be deserted. Then again, one couldn't tell as there was black butcher paper covering the windows and doors.

"It looks closed, though!" Kako said, suddenly interested. "Any games?"

"Well, you_ could_ say that..."

"I WANNA GO!"

Izumi smirked and only the boys saw. "Okay...fine with me!"

Frowning, Kouichi walked over to Izumi. "What are you plotting?"

"Oh...nothing...nothing much."

"Uh huh..."

"Shush, you'll see," hissed the girl as she ushered her cousin into the store.

Kako's jaw dropped the second she stepped through the threshold.

Kouji and Takuya covered each other's mouths so they wouldn't laugh or scream while Junpei and Tomoki exchanged looks.

Kouichi, being Kouichi, merely sighed and shook his head in a bored manner.

"No. Way," Kako growled, attempting to stomp out of the store. "NO."

But Izumi held her back. "YES. Now behave. It'll only take a minute! I promise, just _two_ dresses!"

"No."

"Two isn't much."

"NO!"

"Kako, the sooner you try them on, the sooner we get out," Kouichi stated as he leaned against a nearby wall.

"B-but-"

A firm gaze from Kouichi shut her up.

Kako watched in silent fury as Izumi walked off amongst the rack of dresses. Finding nothing to do with the spare time she had, she glared at the boys. "What are _you_ all waiting here for? Go try on a tuxedo or something!" she snapped, trying not to blush, but failing.

"We're too young to die," replied Kouji before staring at a rack of tuxedos and bursting into laughter. _Oh, man, that's funny. Kouichi in a tuxedo..._

"Shut UP," Kako yelled. She _would_ have kicked him, had Izumi not appeared out of nowhere with two dresses in her arms, each covered by a black plastic bag.

"Hurry up. The faster we try them on, the faster you can get rid of them," Izumi declared practically shoving her cousin into the dressing room.

All the boys exchanged glances then proceeded to wait.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Takuya sat in a chair, yawning for the 15th time. Kouji was half asleep in another chair while Tomoki and Junpei were in a big argument about some game or another and Kouichi was leaning against the wall of the dressing room's entrance with his eyes closed.

"As they done yet?" Takuya complained, groaning and yawning again.

Kouichi shrugged, his eyes still closed.

Kouji stared at his brother. "How do you _do_ that!"

"That's not really helping pass time, you know. And besides, you already _know_ how to do this. It's just not in your brain. Like Takuya said, 'stupidity transfer,'" the older twin commented.

The other stuck his tongue out. "I can try."

"Just shut up. I need to remember if I bought everything for everyone. And if I missed someone, I'll give them your gift."

Kouji squeaked, jumping in his seat before saying in a small voice, "Shutting up."

Another minute past and Kouji practically burst as he questioned his brother, "What are you getting me!"

"IZUMI! I AM NOT GOING OUT LIKE THIS!" Kouichi heard Kako yell.

Opening his eyes, Kouichi pushed off the wall and poked a now sleeping Takuya. "Wake up. I think Kako's done."

"Great! Home and videogames, here I come!" Takuya yelled, jumping out of his seat and startling Junpei and Tomoki into silence. "I finally realized what I did wrong! I have to go _backwards_ to get the W-item materia!"

Kouji's jaw dropped as he stood up. "REALLY?"

Kouichi rolled his eyes and got out his water bottle. "Idiots," he muttered, taking a sip.

"Get. Over. There. NOW!" Izumi yelled, pushing her cousin forward.

Kako began to whine, "I look stupid!" Looking down, she frowned at the dress she had on.

Kouichi stared at Kako with wide eyes before turning around and trying not to spit out the water he had in his mouth. _That looks..._

"Well, what do you think?" Izumi asked gleefully. "Black silk dress, no sleeves..."

"I WANT my jacket," Kako growled at this point.

Izumi continued despite the interruptions, "No sleeves, but two inch straps and-"

"Thank the gods or whatever for no low cuts," muttered her cousin.

At this point, Kouichi had swallowed the water and covered his nose as the water threatened to come up. _Yeah, I finally get over the fact that she looks good in the dress and she has to crack a joke. Thanks a lot, Kako,_ he silently grumbled in his head.

"Right...now the other dress!" Izumi muttered, mainly to herself, as she pushed the younger girl back into the dressing room.

Takuya groaned and fell back into his seat. "I thought she was done..."

"On the bright side, did you know the first shogun's name was Minamoto Yoritomo? Awesome, right!" asked the bandana head.

"Hardly," Junpei replied with a grin.

Tomoki snickered, understanding what Junpei had meant and clarified for the baffled Kouji, "Nothing compared to the fact that you _remembered_ that!"

"HEY! I can be a pretty smart guy if _I want_!" Kouji yelped indignantly. Opening his mouth again, Kouji looked at his twin for support and found Kouichi standing by the wall, supporting himself with a hand as he tried to catch his breath. "Uh...Kouichi?"

Kouichi took several more breaths before closing his water bottle and leaning against the wall with closed eyes again. "I'm...fine..."

"AGAIN!" Kako yelled as Izumi pushed her out.

"SHUT UP!" the clerk yelled furiously.

Kouji stared at the man who had been glaring at them for the past few minutes. Smirking, he prepared his counter carefully.

The clerk continued, "THIS IS A STORE!"

"AND NOT A LIBRARY!" Kouji yelled back gleefully.

Opening his mouth several times, the clerk attempted to find a better comeback, but shut up, defeated.

"Red satin dress with sequins at the inch edge of the sleeves, hem and neck! Isn't it great!" Izumi asked enthusiastically as she pushed Kako out.

Kako grumbled, "I'm glad it has sleeves and all, but I'd like my jacket now, and these sequins are ITCHY! MY ARMS AND NECK ITCH!"

Kouichi winced and looked away as a slight blush crawled up to his cheeks. "Izumi, I think we're done now."

"Oh...but Kouichi-"

"PLEASE?"

Before anyone could say another word, Kako disappeared into the dressing room.

Izumi let out a defeated sigh. "Fine, Kouichi, you get your way," she muttered, frowning at Takuya who was at the very edge of sleeping.

Kouji snickered as he saw he blush on his brother's face. "Kouichi's blushing!" he teased.

"I am NOT blushing," Kouichi growled in his defense, the blush disappearing completely.

"Ooh! Yeah, you were! Is it because-"

"IZUMI HELP ME GET THIS DRESS OFF!" Kako yelled from inside the dressing room.

Kouji snickered as he watched his twin storm outside the store with a crimson red face. Oh, his plan would work so wonderfully...

* * *

A/N-

OH MY GOD I AM SO BEHIND! I'M SORRY! I really am. Only...I didn't get that many reviews, either. BUT I'M SORRY! The customer/reader is always right, no? Next chapter is Christmas! YEY! And it's so close to Christmas here, too...

I came up with the candle idea on the spot, yes, though Junpei's was really hard to figure out. Not only was this a boring chapter, but it was short, darn it. Must make it longer! .:grumbles:. I'm sorry…really, I am…

Review or flame as you wish. Arigatou.


	13. I Was Dreaming Of A White Christmas

Disclaimer- Hey, I know you know this. I don't own Digimon.

--------------------------------------------

I Was Dreaming Of A White Christmas...

--------------------------------------------

Kouichi stared at the dark blue ceiling of his room quietly. The next morning would be Christmas day.

But most importantly, the next morning would be Kako's birthday. Even more importantly, tomorrow was the day that Kouichi planned to finally...

...he could only hope that it went well.

The scene was set perfectly as Kako and Kouji being who they were decided Kouichi would be hosting a Christmas Karaoke party on Christmas as long as Kako could attend, which she could. Kouichi hated not being prepared, and being prepared meant waking up early. So he could say good-bye to sleeping in.

Not only that, but his father and Kouji's stepmother were supposed to call. And his mother would be going out with her friends as usual. But of course, he couldn't forget that Kouji planned to have 'mini band practice' with Takuya.

So much for just another quiet Christmas.

After checking for Kako's presents under his bed, Kouichi closed his eyes and let sleep overcome him.

---------------------------------------------

"KOU-I-CHI!" Kouji yelled, jumping onto his brother's bed. "KAR-A-OKE!"

Kouichi groaned and rolled out of his bed, dragging his overly ecstatic twin out of the room as well before marching back into the room to change and muttering in a sleepy voice, "Stay out of my room..."

"Kar-a-oke!" Kouji chanted until the older twin finally got out of his room and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. As they passed their mother who sat at the table with a mug in her hand, Kouji yelled, "Hi Mom! KARAOKE!"

Miss Kimura stared at both of her sons, obviously worried. "Kouichi, you aren't awake. Are you sure...?"

Nodding, Kouichi handed his brother the food and sat down with his own plate.

"Karaoke!" Kouji sang happily.

Their mother sighed, quickly finishing her coffee before standing up and getting her keys. "I'll be back by ten _tonight_, so you two better be asleep by then. Be good, don't break the house and remember to clean up!" she reminded them before she left.

"Where's she going?" Kouji asked.

Kouichi put the dishes in the sink. "Friend's house. She does that every Christmas."

"Oh."

After a moment of silence and running water, as Kouichi was washing dishes, the twins walked into the living room before staring at each other.

"I'll get the karaoke set," Kouichi finally said.

Kouji nodded. "I'll get my guitar."

The older boy winced and asked, "Is Takuya going to bring his drums?"

"Yep."

"Then I'll go warn the neighbors first."

Kouji watched his brother walk outside before heading to his room to get his guitar. Picking up the blue guitar, he smirked, thinking of all the torture he could inflict on his brother. The boy quickly walked back to the living room and set up the videogames. His hands itched as they touched he controller, but before he could even attempt to play, Kouichi walked in, a strange look on his face.

"What's up?" asked the younger twin, raising an eyebrow.

Kouichi just shook his head. "No one home. Usually, they're around, and they make more noise than we do. That's why I thought..."

"Oh well! Hey! Takuya's here!" Kouji exclaimed, running to the door.

The other boy looked at the clock. "It's eight. He's early."

Kouji just laughed as he opened the door, "Who cares? Hey, Tacky goggle dork!"

Takuya laughed as well, saying, "How's it going Kouji bandana freak?"

Both boys laughed until Kouichi cleared his throat and glared at them.

"Okay, how do we get the drums in?" Takuya grumbled.

Kouichi sighed at the drum set in his front yard. "Take it apart and put it together inside?" he suggested.

"NO!" Takuya screeched, sticking his hands out to the side to prevent the twins from even taking a step towards his drums.

Kouji rolled his eyes. "Let's get to work..."

---------------------------------------

It had taken a full hour to figure out how to move the drum set inside and a few minutes to set up the karaoke set. All three boys sat on the couch drinking hot chocolate while waiting. Kouji and Takuya were playing videogames while Kouichi was absorbed in yet _another_ book.

However, it was only another hour later, at ten fifteen, that Izumi, Tomoki and Junpei arrived. Izumi apparently had Junpei carry the gifts she planned to give everyone, while Tomoki held two bags of the gifts he had for everyone, and a third bag he held for Junpei.

"No Kako?" Kouji asked as soon as Kouichi opened the door, raising an eyebrow at Izumi. "I lost my partner in crime?"

Izumi giggled and replied, "Kako's going to come around lunchtime. Until then, Kouji, you're partnerless. Then again, she would deny being your partner. She'd slap you first."

"Jee, why can't she slap Kouichi instead? He looks enough like me."

"Because..." Izumi trailed off to smirk at Kouichi.

Kouichi grumbled and whacked his brother with his book. "Shut it. I'll go get started on lunch. You guys can karaoke, game, whatever, as long as it doesn't involve me, my room, or any of my possessions minus the karaoke set. And _don't break it_," he warned as he picked up the fallen book.

"Dammit, Kouichi, what's with you and that karaoke set!" Kouji snapped in annoyance. Not expecting an answer, he went back to gaming with Takuya.

The older twin shrugged. "Because Kako gave it to me four years ago. And because I'm over possessive of my stuff," he replied thoughtfully as he entered the kitchen.

Kouji paused the game and flashed a confused look at Izumi. In response, Izumi merely shrugged.

Finally tiring of the silence and Kouji staring at his girlfriend, Takuya unpaused the game swiftly and while clearing his throat to get Kouji's attention, effortlessly beat Kouji's character. "I _told_ you Kirby was weak," the goggle boy stated matter-of-factly.

The bandana boy's jaw fell in horror as he exclaimed in a disbelieving voice, "You cheated! Ooh, just you wait, Tacky, I'll show you Kirby's _true_ power!"

"Hah! The bubble _has_ no power!"

"STOP SOUNDING LIKE LUCEMON!"

"DON'T COMPARE US TO A _BUBBLE_! AND BOWSER IS MOST DEFINITELY NOT LIKE LUCEMON!"

"And I see no point in Super Smash Bros. Melee! Jeez, boys are stupidly pointless sometimes!" Izumi declared, placing her hands on her hips as she frowned down at Takuya and Kouji, then at Tomoki and Junpei who were discussing gaming techniques.

Everyone burst into laughter and Kouji and Takuya continued playing, occasionally trading insults.

----------------------------------------

In the kitchen, Kouichi nearly chopped off his fingers three times as he overheard their conversation. Just hearing the word 'pointless' made him think of the gift he had gotten for Kako. Swallowing and drowning out the laughter, he closed his eyes and put down the knife to take a seat. _If only I didn't like her...things definitely would be easier_, he thought, opening an eye to look at the clock.

10:47

Only an hour and thirteen minutes to go.

Looking out the window longingly, Kouichi stood up and sighed before returning to his work.

----------------------------------------

"Can we eat now?" asked the ever-impatient Kouji.

Kouichi glared at his brother for the eighteenth time. "No." Sighing, he returned to his book.

"Now?"

Nineteenth time. "NO. And _don't_ ask again."

"But it's twelve o' five!"

"You can wait ten minutes."

"Kouichi...Kako wouldn't mind!"

Slamming down his book on the kitchen counter, the older twin stood up. "We'll wait _ten minutes_," he growled firmly.

"But-"

"NO."

Grumbling, Kouji walked back to the couch where Junpei was playing Super Smash Bros. with Takuya. "He says ten minutes. Ten minutes later, he'll say twenty minutes and then-"

"Honestly, do boys ever shut up? And Takuya's been playing for an hour an eighteen minutes straight!" Izumi exclaimed, exasperated.

"Actually, more like an hour and...no wait...two hours," Takuya corrected her, his eyes never leaving the T.V. screen.

Izumi rolled her eyes. "Whatever! It just shows how obsessed-"

A knock on the door startled everyone into silence. Everyone but Takuya, who pushed Junpei's Yoshi right off the edge of the platform.

Both Kouji and Kouichi raced to the door, pushing each other aside and yanking the door open.

Kako stared at the twins as they began to argue.

"It's my house!" growled Kouichi, elbowing his brother.

Kouji stepped on Kouichi's foot. "No! It's Mom's house!"

"I lived here longer!"

"Guests are better!"

"Hi-OW!-Kako!"

"Hurry up and get in! I'm hungry!"

The girl in front of them rose an eyebrow before pushing them both aside and heading straight to her cousin. "Izumi, what do you do when your older brother's going insane?" she asked calmly.

"Ask Tomoki," replied the other girl, pointing to the younger boy.

Tomoki shrugged. "Depends on what."

"When he's going insane because he lost his girlfriend and has to take care of you because Dad's on a business trip as usual and he wants to go out with his new girlfriend without having to worry about you burning down the house when in reality, it's _him_ who would burn down the house."

"Ignore him."

Kouichi pushed his brother away and shut the door. "Why, Kako?" _And she talks fast when she's mad..._

Kako clenched her hands as she stormed into the kitchen. "Because he's getting on my nerves."

Noting the growl in her voice, everyone exchanged glances before heading into the kitchen.

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A/N-

...I'm sorry. I know you're disappointed that I didn't review in a week and only have 1600 words in this chapter. I know,I'm a big disappointment. It's this ego thing, I guess. No, wait...well, anyway, I had a lot of school problems, and I'm still slacking, so I may not update until Tuesday, and I'm sorry. Please, though, review or flame if you will. Kako's gone nuts.

.:Kako:. NOOOO! You totally ruined my character!

...ehehehehe...


	14. Only, It Turned Dark

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon. I own a reputation of being a pro procrastinator. XP

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Only...It Turned Dark

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Lunch was quiet until Kouji opened his mouth, much to Kouichi's dismay. "So, Kako, when should we make Kouichi sing?" he asked eagerly. If all went well, he could put his plan into action today.

"Who cares," Kako muttered back, apparently in a foul mood which was obvious as she stabbed at her food rather violently.

Upon hearing those words, Kouichi nearly dropped his fork. "Wha?" he asked, blinking. "You don't care?"

In response, she shot him a withering glare.

Instinctively, Kouichi jumped up and placed a hand on her forehead. "Are you sick or something!"

"I'm _fine_," snapped the girl, irritatatedly whacking his hand away. "Just incredibly irked."

Everyone fell silent once more as Kouichi returned to his seat feeling somewhat awkward.

"Are you _sure_ you're Kako?" asked Izumi, raising an eyebrow in a skeptical manner.

"Hey," the bandana boy said suddenly, "Kako, what's today?"

"December 25th, idiot, what do you think?" came the rude reply.

Kouji just grinned. "And...?"

"Christmas day."

"And...?"

"For hell's sake, Kouji, it's my birthday, so what?" Kako snapped angrily, slamming down her fork.

Kouichi tensed up. "Oh, yeah, Kouji, did you get everyone presents or is it I.O.U. this year, too?"

The other boy laughed at the joke, "Hey, I actually shopped this year, isn't it amazing!"

Everyone rolled their eyes.

A grim smile appeared on Kouichi's face as he continued, "But do you remember where you put them?"

"Yep!" The tone in Kouji's voice was obviously proud as he continued, "Under your bed!"

Kako raised an eyebrow as Kouichi choked on his food. "Has anyone else noticed that Kouichi always seems to have food around at big news?" she asked, somewhat amused.

"That _is_ true! Like when you were trying on those dresses!" Junpei laughed.

She glared at him, silencing him as she threatened, "I'll make _you_ try on dresses if you don't shut up."

Junpei mumbled something meekly before returning to his food.

Izumi frowned and asked in a concerned voice, "Kako, are you okay?"

"Just fine, why?" replied the other girl somewhat carelessly.

"You're biting everyone's heads off...even Kouji's-Kouichi, where are you going?" she asked suddenly as Kouichi stood up.

"Hm/ Oh, to get the gifts. I'd rather not forget. Knowing Kouji, I'd definitely forget later," he replied, disappearing into his room.

The expression on Kako's face softened from angry to a look of depression. Sighing, she looked down at her hands which were clapsed together in her lap, occassionally fidgeting.

Seconds later, Kouichi walked out of his room, arms filled with presents. Almost immediately, Tomoki, Junpei and Kouji ran over to Kouichi while the other three followed behind.

"What'd you get me for my birthday?" asked Kouji happily as he tore away at the wrapping paper, unable to bear the suspicion.

Takuya tore away at his presents, determined to figure out what they were before Kouji figured out his. "No way! My own copy! Cool, now I don't have to bug Kouji for Super Smash Bros. Melee!"

"I got an awesomer shirt!"

"Red's not your color, though," Takuya said distastefully, making a face.

"Ignore the red! I'm the evil twin! Cool!" Kouji laughed as he examined the shirt his brother had given him. _Kouichi has no idea just _how_ evil I am..._

Sighing, Kouichi handed everyone else their presents, tensing up as he approached Kako. "Uh...Kako?"

"Huh?" she looked up at him, somewhat surprised.

He held out two boxes. "Your presents."

"Oh..." she murmured quietly, accepting the presents somewhat glumly and reached into her pocket, handing Kouichi something. "Don't open this until your birthday," she instructed firmly, forcing a smile.

Kouichi returned the smile with ease. "Glad to see you're okay."

Kako just kept smiling and walked over to Izumi to examine what her cousin got.

Sighing, Kouichi leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, listening to his friends chatter as they opened their presents.

"Hey, don't think we forgot you," he heard his brother say.

Opening his eyes, Kouichi saw Kouji shove a box at him. "What's that?" asked the older twin, examining the box. "Not a bomb, I hope."

"Nope!" Kouji replied, laughing. _Dang...think bomb next time, Kouji! How does Kouichi come up with these ideas?_ "Open and see!"

Kouichi opened it, his eyes widening as soon as he realized the contents of the box. "A...where'd you get this?"

"You have at _least_ twenty batteries in your room. So I bought it with my own money...and uh...everyone else chipped in, too. Kako's idea," Kouji replied, wincing.

"Two questions. How did any of you get a look at my room after the paint incident and why didn't you just give me the money for the window instead!"

"And it wasn't my idea," Kako said smoothly.

"Kouji...?"

"Because MP3 players are cooler and I only had twenty bucks!" the bandana boy blurted after a minute of intense glaring against his twin.

Kouichi shook his head with a small smile and placed a hand on Kako's shoulder while she was in a conversation with Izumi. "Open your presents yet?"

"Don't really plan on diong so right now," she answered, looking out the window with a sigh.

"Alright everyone, we've got a song for you!" Kouji cheered.

Takuya snickered. "We wanted Kouichi to sing, but..."

"I'm singing in his place!" Junpei yelled.

"No, I am!" Tomoki argued.

"Good grief, just forget the singing and play the music!" Kako snapped.

Both Takuya and Kouji just grinned at each other and ran to their instruments. Just as they began to play, Kouichi flashed a look at Kako, who was now smiling. With a relieved but quiet sigh, Kouichi retreated to the wall and closed his eyes as he listened to the music.

And for some reason, it sounded familiar.

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That evening, after dinner and hours of fun, jokes and idiocy, mostly provided by Takuya and Kouji, Kouichi walked beside Kako, flat out refusing to let her walk alone at nine at night, even if she was capable of taking care of herself.

"But Izumi's walking by herself," Kako muttered as she stalked out the door.

Kouichi chuckled and shut the door, glancing quickly at the night sky before running up to Kako. "So..." _Ask her_, his mind commanded. _Ask her now._

Kako looked at her feet. "We never forced you to sing," she murmured softly.

"Everyone pretty much forgot about karaoke. Even Kouji," Kouichi mused, smiling at the sky.

"You're in a good mood."

"You're in a bad mood."

Kako cracked a small smile as she joked, "Stole my mood, did you?"

"No clue. Did I?" he teased back, yanking her ponytail lightly.

She shot him a glare before she continued to walk, silently looking at her feet.

"Are you going to cut your hair soon?" Kouichi suddenly asked, walking behind Kako and examing her hair's length.

"Nope."

"It's down to your waist," he observed, looking back up at the sky. "Pretty, huh?"

"What?"

"The stars."

"Yeah..." Kako murmured absentmindedly, shivering as droplets of water fell around her. "It's starting to rain...I better just run the rest of the way. Thank you, though," whispered the girl, taking a small step back as she turned to look at Kouichi.

Before Kako could run off, Kouichi pulled her back. "Are you cold?" he asked, taking of his jacket and placing it over her head.

"No...aren't you! Stop taking off your jacket! You know you're going to get sick! Don't you have a brain!" Kako scolded as they continued walking to her house.

"Nope. I guess I don't. Especially considering that I like the rain!" Kouichi replied good naturedly with a laugh. As they fell silent again, his gaze fell upon her. "Kako, I've been meaning to ask you something..."

"What is it?"

"Well, what would you think if...if...if we..."

Kako turned to look at him questioningly. "Hm?"

"What would you think if we took our relationship to...to, well, something more?" _This is getting hard to phrase cryptically..._

Kako fell quiet.

_Uh...what did I do wrong? _Kouichi panicked. "Kako?"

"What are you talking about?" she finally asked, entirely baffled.

Kouichi drew a breath and asked, "I mean what would you think if we were dating?"

She looked at her shoes. "I..."

"I mean, as in what if we _were_, not if we should. Er-I mean-"

"Kouichi...please, understand..."

"What?"

"D-do you know how stupid you sound saying that? Honestly, Kouichi, you're a great friend, but that's it. I...I have to go!" she blurted, dashing off and throwing Kouichi's jacket back at him.

Kouichi stood in the now pouring rain, staring at the direction Kako ran off in with semi-surprised eyes. He looked down at the jacket in his arms. Quietly, feeling confused and hurt, Kouichi headed back home. _It's funny,_ the boy thought, _how the rain can seem so beautiful and so ugly at the same time_.

Slipping a hand into his pocket, he brought out what Kako had given him earlier. It was a small, thin, square package, covered in newspaper. Half of him wanted to throw it in the gutter. The other half of him urged him to keep it. Somewhat angrily, he stuffed it back in his pocket and headed to the arcade, hoping he'd feel better after a few games.

---------------------------------------------

By the time Kouichi came home that night, it was twelve. His other stood at the door, frowning down at him.

As he walked inside without a word of apology or any excuse, she asked, "Kouichi, what is wrong with you?"

In response, he headed to his room, ignoring the fact that he was soakign wet. "Rejection feels like getting swallowed by darkness. Funny thing is...it's worse."

Just as he slammed the door, both Kouji and his motehr exchanged glances.

And Kouji immediately knew what to do to make his plan at it's best.

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A/N-

Aaaaah! Short chapter attack! RUN AWAY! ...just kidding. So I lied to you. This chapter is depressing. The _next_ chapter will be a big humor chapter. Go Kouji time. .:grins:. Sorry I took forever. I really am. I promise to not take forever next time, I really do!


	15. Kouji's After Christmas Sale Special

Disclaimer-Me? Own Digimon? Why thank you! Well, that was a nice dream. I don't own Digimon.

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Kouji's After Christmas Sale Special

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As soon as Kouichi didn't come home by 9:45 that night, I knew something was wrong. Had I had the chance, I would have gone out and looked for him myself, had it not meant that I would have to be...serious.

Yeah, I'm faking this whole 'stupid Kouji' act. It's all Takuya's fault, but I can remember every single word as if it were yesterday...

---------FLASHBACK---------

"Kouji why are you so worried?" Takuya asked. You could tell he was getting annoyed. Usually, he sleeps during train rides. But as we headed home from visiting Kouichi in the hospital shortly after we had our digital adventure, he was wide-awake, even standing up and glaring at me.

I just sighed. "But Kouichi's...I just don't know. He looks and _says_ he's okay, and they're letting him out tomorrow, but...but I just..."

Takuya twitched. "You're _way_ too worried."

"No I'm not." I was kind of surprised at why he said that. I thought it was my natural attitude.

Whatever it was, he was so determined to change it.

"I bet you couldn't go four years without being serious!" he declared, exasperated.

My weak point: dares. I can't stand not accepting a challenge. So I grinned and asked, "What's in it for me?"

"A hundred dollars. From me."

"That's not much...but I'll do it!" It was then that I realized I didn't want to ruin Kouichi's time out of the hospital just _yet._ A frown appeared on my face. "A month from tomorrow. That's when it starts."

Takuya nodded. "Remember, then. A month from tomorrow."

-------END FLASHBACK-------

And so I can finally return to normal this summer. It sounds stupid, but that's the situation. SO half the things I do to torment Kouichi, I don't really mean. I want him to smile. I want him to play along.

I'm not stupid. I know he likes Kako. I know the reason he's upset. He's my twin. I know.

And I finally decided to make my 'Master Plan' today. You see, since yesterday night, Kouichi's had a cold. It's his fault for being out in the rain and never drying off. So if I worked on my plan with Takuya and Junpei, he'd never know.

Glancing at the clock, I realized they were both fifteen minutes late. But then again, we could all care less about punctuality. Kouichi says we'll be late to our own birthday parties and funerals, too. Though, I always misinterpret it so that it means we live longer...for the funeral part, anyway.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. Being crazy makes me have weird thoughts. Meaning I don't really think anymore, unless it's something like a test. Or, in this case, 'Master Plans.'

"Well there's Tacky and JP," I muttered, opening the door. "Bring any brilliant ideas with you, Mr. K?"

"Ehh...some that need to be revised first, Mr. M," Takuya replied in the same hushed, spy-like voice we developed.

"I _still_ don't get the need for codenames," Junpei grumbled, walking inside after Takuya. He's just too grown up for us now...it's so sad. "Now, where do we start?" Did I mention he's a Kouichi wanna-be?

I just grinned. "At the base of the problem!"

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"So you're saying you're going to request Kako's help?" Takuya asked for clarification for the tenth time, raising an eyebrow after I explained matters to Junpei and him the _third_ time over. Seriously, their brains aren't as brilliant as mine!

Then again, _they're_ the ones who want to get revenge on Kouichi. I just wanna play videogames.

So I'm not as innocent as I look. Okay, I want a _bit_ of revenge.

Happy? Going back to what was happening...

I nodded, still grinning.

Junpei snorted. "She'll blow your head off first, you know."

That just made me smirk. "Oh, but I can be _extremely_ persuasive..."

"I find that hard to believe," the older boy remarked dryly.

_Meanie_, I thought. But I still continued, ignoring Junpei's comment, "_Especially_ considering Kako's in love with my _dearest_ twin brother..."

The other two were shocked. "WHAT?"

"Yep! So all I have to do is go out with her until the dance on our birthday, our meaning Kouichi and myself, then put her in a room with Kouichi and-"

"How does this ensure our revenge, though?" Junpei growled.

It amazes me how stupid Junpei can be when it comes to these things...and he's smarter in math! "Kouichi is scared of girls. Kouichi and Kako like each other. Make Kouichi jealous, then get him a girlfriend and our revenge is complete," I explained, rolling my eyes at his stupidity.

"Huh?"

I slapped my forehead. I really wonder how I can win those one hundred dollars if this keeps up. "I date Kako, Kouichi gets jealous, get _that_?" I asked, gritting my teeth in an effort not to strangle Junpei.

He nodded. FINALLY.

"Now, once he blows and turns completely miserable, there's a dance on February _fourteenth_, our birthday, Valentine's Day."

"Okay..."

"We stick those two in a locked room and go out to a movie to eat popcorn!" I cheered, not so loud as Kouichi was in his room and could possibly hear.

Takuya and Junpei exchanged glances before bursting out into laughter.

"You're taking this dare _way_ too far!" Junpei told me between fits of laughter.

And Takuya agreed. "There's _no_ way you could get Kako to go out with you!"

"Actually," I said smoothly, "I plan to do that today."

Their jaws dropped. "What?" the two chorused.

"Right now. _Yes_, I'm serious," I muttered, rolling my eyes in annoyance. With them around, it's a constant habit.

"Now? Kako? Gir-what?" Junpei blabbed, unable to believe his ears.

I just grinned, having yet _another _great plan in mind. "First, let's check up on my _dear older_ brother."

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Kouichi can be pretty weird. Especially when he's sick. He gets grumpier than usual and starts ranting about...well, I never listen long enough to figure what about. Usually, I guess it's me.

So, I suppose I sort of got worried when he didn't rant when I walked into his room. It was a good thing Takuya and Junpei were waiting outside because they're afraid of 'sick Kouichi' as they termed the state he was in, otherwise, I would have lost the bet. I wonder if it's worth it, sometimes.

"Hey, Kouichi! Guess what?" I asked cheerfully.

He just turned away as soon as his eyes met mine. "Go away."

I glared at his curled up form that lay in the bed, blankets lying everywhere, and asked, "Why?"

"Because."

"Yeah...?"

"Because, I _said_ so."

I could tell he was getting pissed off. Maybe I shouldn't have pressed the point further, but usually he doesn't get so mad, and he's usually too weak to do anything.

Guess I wasn't lucky _this_ time.

"And because you said so...?" I asked, a grin back on my face.

Kouichi sat up in his bed, pushing the blankets off of him. He had changed out of his wet clothes in the morning when Mom threatened to do it for him, but his clothes didn't seem any drier than before. He stared at the wall in front of him before getting out of bed and punching my jaw. "That a better reason?" he growled.

Yeah, Kouichi has different forms of violency. Gotta remember that.

I tried laughing it off as I watched Kouichi slump back into bed and lie down on his back to stare at the ceiling endlessly. Obviously, he was lost in thought. After ten seconds, I realized he wasn't paying any attention to me and walked out of the room, closing the door behind me. I really need to learn how to _not _piss him off.

Rubbing my jaw, I looked at Takuya and Junpei, who looked at me in askance. In reply, I merely said in a grave tone, "He punches really hard." _Even when he's hella weak._

Both let out snorts and rolled their eyes.

"_Now_ what, Mr. I-think-I'm-The-Leader?" Takuya snapped. He's just jealous because he can't be the leader this time around. Humph.

"Ka...er..." I looked around hastily before whispering, "Kako's house."

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Uhhh...yeah. Kouichi's semi violent, but in the few months that I've gotten to know Kako...

Let's just say, my kendo skills are the only thing keeping me alive.

"Takuya, why don't _you_ ring the bell?" I suggested slyly, making my way behind my two comrades, if you could call them that. Just kidding, you two. You really are my friends...in one way or another.

Takuya laughed uneasily and joined me as I edged behind the clueless Junpei. "Er, nah, Junpei, you do the honors."

So Junpei rang the bell. Yeah, he was that clueless about Kako's total personality. Both Takuya and I squeezed our eyes shut and turned around, preparing to run off, screaming, if need be.

The door creaked open.

"Uh...who are you and...?" A boy-okay, he wasn't a boy. he was Kako's brother. So what? I consider 25-year-olds as kids! Well, _Hideki_, anyway.

"Er, you're Hideki, right? Hi! I'm Kouji! Is Kako home?" I asked, laughing and look around to cover up the reason that Takuya and I had been turned around.

Takuya whacked the back of my head and cleared his throat.

It took several minutes before Hideki answered us. "Kako's at Taekwon-Do, but she'll be back in five minutes or so. Anyway, since you're here, mind staying and watching the house while I go out?"

"Uh...we...uh..." Junpei stuttered, looking to me for lack of an answer.

I didn't see how it could hurt. "Sure, why not?"

"YES!" Hideki quickly fumbled with his keys before handing me the house key and running off with no explanation.

Now, what did I tell you? Total kid. I headed to the door and motioned for Takuya and Junpei to follow as I opened the door. As soon as the door closed, we headed immediately for the TV, seeing the PS2 out, but quickly decided against touching it. Junpei nearly reconsidered, and it took a while to calm him down. And so, we sat down on the couch.

And waited.

And waited.

"And waited, and waited, and waited..." At this point, Takuya whacked my head again. Too much Izumi-influence. "Did I mentioned that we waited?" I asked Takuya, cringing as he prepared to whack me again.

It was twenty-five minutes later that Kako came back home. Junpei had left after ten minutes of waiting, claiming he had better things to do with his time. Takuya fell asleep eighteen minutes into waiting, and I stretched and yawned just as Kako opened the door.

"Stupid idiot. I stop by to-WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE! HIDEKI!" she screamed, throwing her backpack at me.

It's a good thing it wasn't filled with books, because it hit me square in the face. A muffled, "Ow" came out of my mouth as I fell back on the couch.

"GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!" Kako yelled, snatching an umbrella and aiming it at me.

Before she could throw it, I got up and grabbed the edge of the umbrella. "Hold on, Ms. Feisty! We just wanna talk!"

"Get OUT!"

"Okay, we'll do it the hard way!" I sang happily, tearing the umbrella out of her grasp and tossing it aside. Unfortunately, she slapped me. "Ow," I grumbled, "Takuya! HELP ME OUT, HERE!"

Takuya was asleep until Kako kicked my head. She kicks not only _high_, but also _hard_. Must be all that Taekwon-Do training. _Gotta remember to ask what belt she is_, I thought as I got hit. So as I stumbled over to the couch, I kind of...

Sort of...

Fell on top of Takuya.

Which resulted in more screaming and kicking and...

Let's just skip this part.

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Eventually, we all calmed down and Takuya and I sat on the couch with ice packs practically suffocating us. I assume they have that many ice packs because Kako beats up Hideki a lot. They have a huge house, too. More space. Space is ideal in beating people up. Anyway...that's just an assumption.

"What are you two doing here?" Kako groaned as she walked out of the hallway, changed into her normal clothes. She looked funny wearing all white. It would have been amusing, had she not been too busy whacking us with an umbrella...

I raised an eyebrow as I questioned, "Not even a sorry?"

"NO. Especially not to _you_, Kouji! Takuya, I'm _really_ sorry about whacking you...Izumi's going to murder me..."

OH_, I see the way it works. She apologizes to Takuya, but not me_, I thought grumpily as I asked, "So...went to see Kouichi?"

I was honestly kidding. So I was kind of surprise when she started sputtering and turned red.

"NO!" Kako finally snapped, glaring at me. "What gave you the idea?"

Cringing, I brushed off the five ice packs and placed them on Takuya, who didn't feel like talking, then moved into a more comfortable position. "You mean other than the fact that you were beet red and blabbering nonsense second ago?" I coughed slightly, then added, "Oh...nothing."

"Well, so what if I did? It's not like he opened the door or anything!"

Takuya opened his mouth and I elbowed him. The situation was just too perfect. "Yeah, he said he plans to ignore you." I ignored the goggle boy as his jaw dropped. A smirk complimented my comment.

Kako fell silent, looking out the clear balcony doors. I didn't exactly hear what she said, because she was really quiet, but it sounded something along the lines of, "I deserve it." I nearly stopped smirking.

"And so," I announced, "I need your help!"

"Go away," mumbled Kako, staring at her feet glumly.

"This way, we both get what we want." Despite the fact that she wasn't listening, I continued, standing up and walking towards her.

"I mean it, Kouji."

"Kouji, let's go," Takuya suddenly said, standing up and heading towards the door. He obviously knew what I was going to do and didn't really care to be associated in any way with me at the moment.

But I just continued walking towards her. I knew I was scaring her, but this was the only way I could get my plan into action. "You know that you still love him," I whispered so only Kako could hear, "But you're afraid, aren't you?"

"Sh...shut up," she gasped, glaring up at me.

"So you're pushing him away so you won't make any mistakes, right?" I was standing right in front of her.

Takuya let out an impatient sigh, "Kouji, dammit, leave her alone and let's go!"

At that moment, Kako rose to her feet, glaring daggers at me. "So what if I am? This is my business. I'll do what I want!" she hissed venomously, turning around in an effort to walk away.

I grabbed her hand, tightly, too. I didn't want to hurt her, but my plan _needed_ to work. "Where do you think you're going?" I smiled as she turned around to injure me, but cried out in dismay when I caught her other hand. _Dang, I can dance now! Haha...er...no, concentrate, Kouji. Fool around later_, I thought, almost laughing when I realized what a silly situation I was in.

Kendo's made me awesomer than I look, if I do say so myself.

"KOUJI!" Takuya growled, taking a step forward. "What are you doing?"

Smiling, I pulled Kako closer. I was pretty sure I was getting the maniac message across by now. I leaned towards her ear and whispered, "So, then, you've got a couple of choices. Help me willingly, help me against your will, or don't help me and suffer the consequences."

I could tell Takuya was wincing. If anything went wrong, Kako would tell Izumi, and Izumi would murder Takuya for not stopping me. But I was sure it wouldn't turn out like that.

"Consequences work," Kako snapped, struggling to keep calm and get out of my hold even though she was scared out of her wits. "Not like you have anything on me."

I chuckled darkly. "I beg to differ. See, Ai knew Kouichi's secret...and I know yours..." I leaned back to examine the expression on her face. She was pale, her eyes wider than before, and definitely breathing harder.

"What do you want me to do, then?" she croaked, attempting to yank away.

"Pose as my girlfriend until I state otherwise."

Silence. Then, "Fine."

I don't know why, but for some reason I kissed her. And I have to say, she's a pretty good kisser. I let her go as I pulled away from her lips, smiling victoriously.

Smiling...until she kicked my head again.

"JUST BECAUSE I'M POSING AS YOUR GIRLFRIEND, DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN KISS ME WHENEVER YOU WANT TO! YOU'RE REALLY LUCKY THAT WASN'T MY FIRST KISS!" she yelled angrily, whacking my head a few times more.

After recovering, I asked with a grin, "Who was?" And as she turned red, I said the answer for her. "Kouichi. Knew that."

"Only...it was a complete accident," she murmured thoughtfully, then pushed me towards the door. "Takuya, I won't tell Izumi. And Kouji, one step out of line and I murder you," Kako told us in a grave voice before slamming the door in my face.

Takuya turned to me, a smirk on his face. "Congrats, Kouji. I never knew you had it in you."

All I could do was smirk victoriously and say, "And Junpei wasn't even here to witness my greatest victory."

And I thought I labored endlessly on the computer for no reason.

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A/N-

Semi confusing? You'll understand soon enough. Sorry I didn't post last night. I was at a stupid Marching Band social. And I only had two slices of pizza and three cookies. What a waste of two hours of time.

.:Kouichi:. I've finished checking the chapter and...:deletes chapter:.

...Kouichi's jealous. And annoyed that his brother is plotting against him. It's okay, Kouichi. .:pats his head:. .:Kouichi glares:. Kako'll come back to you _some_ day. Unless you really aren't boyfriend material. Speaking of which, this couple I know broke up, and I'm really sad, because it wasn't the boy's fault. .:sighs:. Review or Flame.


	16. Reflections

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon. I also don't own 'Simple and Clean' or 'Hikari.' Nope, those belong to Utada Hikaru.

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Reflections

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Kouichi let out a chain of sneezes as soon as his brother left the room. Of course he felt a little guilty about hitting Kouji, but he just wasn't sure how to get rid of his anger...and...the rest of his emotions. Obviously, lying in bed and thinking about it wasn't helping.

_Mom's gone_, Kouichi thought, sitting up in bed, _Kouji's gone. No one's home._ After a moment of mental conflict, the boy got out of bed and headed to the living room cautiously. He stood there for several minutes straight, staring at the door. Finally he headed to the kitchen, where a bowl lay on the counter, covered, with a note on top.

"'_You were asleep for lunch. If you don't eat, I'll let Kouji sabotage your room. Love, Mom_,'" Kouichi scanned through the note with a sigh. Picking up the bowl, he headed to the table to eat.

After finishing his lunch, Kouichi walked back into the living room and stared at the door again. The seconds passed like minutes, slowly ticking away, similar to how a hiker would go throw deep snow. Then, out of nowhere, the doorbell rang. Kouichi continued to stare at the door as the bell rang two more times. His feet were rooted to the spot, glued there, as if he couldn't move.

Ignoring the tears that blinded his eyes, Kouichi waited seconds after the last bell rang, before he ran to the door, threw it open, and ran outside. In the distance, he could see Kako running off.

Holding out an outstretched hand as if to stop her, Kouichi tried to call out, but found that he couldn't speak at all. Shivering as he headed back inside, Kouichi sighed. _Why?_ He thought bitterly to himself, _Why can't I talk to her? Why can't I face her anymore? And why the…why couldn't I just have been happy with our friendship?_

Closing the door, Kouichi gripped the knob tightly until he decided to attempt to play one of Kouji's videogames.

-------------------------------------------------

An hour later, when Kouji came home, he found his brother on the couch. Almost immediately, the younger twin's jaw dropped. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" the bandana boy screamed.

Kouichi looked up from the game he was playing and shrugged. "Borrowing your PS2."

"When did you get Final Fantasy VII?" Kouji whined, running over to his brother to watch what was happening. "I couldn't find a decent copy anywhere!"

Glaring at his twin for a mere second before returning to the game, the older of the two quickly found a save point, saved, then turned off the PS2, only after taking out the disc and putting it back in its case. Clearing his throat, he removed and pocketed the memory card, and turned to Kouji, instructing him in a cold voice, "I got it recently. In fact, I just got it today, while you, Takuya and Junpei were off bother other people. Now go make me something to eat."

Kouji stood there, shocked. "But I don't know how to cook!" he protested.

In response, Kouichi headed to his room. "Then I suggest you start learning. Need I remind you that the contract is still on," he reminded his brother before slamming the door shut.

_Someone hasn't heard of mercy_, Kouji thought grumpily as he walked into the kitchen. Just as he began to search through the freezer, though, the phone rang. Even more annoyed than before, Kouji picked up the phone somewhat violently and answered it through gritted teeth, "_Hello_?"

"Oy, it's Takuya. Junpei doesn't believe you got Kako," Takuya stated.

Kouji smirked. _At least he got straight to the point._ "Of _course_ we're going out!" Kouji exclaimed loudly, "we've been going out for a long time!"

"What's it been? Two months?"

At least Takuya was getting the point now. Silently apologizing to his digital spirits, Kouji continued, "Yeah, something like that. Since Halloween."

A slam of the phone was heard, and Kouji chuckled and whispered into the phone, "Great, Takuya. I'll see you tomorrow."

"No prob!" the goggle boy answered before hanging up.

Smirking to himself, Kouji went through the freezer again, this time finding frozen pizza. He stared at it a long time before finally taking it out of the freezer and grinning evilly. Kouji chuckled darkly as he muttered, "Way to go, Kouji. Way to go."

His plan was on its way.

-------------------------------------------

In his room, Kouichi sighed. The one chance he had to vent out his anger was ruined. And he was even considering to play the game enthusiastically instead of violently pressing on the buttons every time he was in battle. After all, the plot had been getting interesting at the point that Kouji had arrived. And that character, Cloud…

Cloud reminded him of someone. He just wasn't sure whom of.

It was then in the middle of his thoughts that the phone rang. Usually, Kouichi wouldn't mind, but as he was mildly sick and extremely annoyed with almost everyone, he was especially annoyed with the phone.

Holding in a cough, he picked up the phone and was about to answer it, when he heard Kouji say 'hello.'

It was Takuya.

Kouichi would have hung the phone up right away, but the conversation…

'_Yeah, something like that. Since Halloween,'_ he heard Kouji say into the phone.

Slamming the phone down on the receiver with all his force, Kouichi clenched his other hand.

Halloween. Kako and Kouji…they had been going out since Halloween. His own brother…

Sighing, Kouichi felt his heart sink as he sat down on his bed, recalling Halloween. There seemed to be no hint that the two had been going out at all, especially the week before Christmas.

"God, I must've sounded stupid to her," he muttered, letting out the long held-in cough and squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to ignore the pain. "How'd I get this sick…?"

Halloween.

He could remember it all well…the day before…

**-FLASHBACK-**

"Kouichi! PLEASE!" Kako begged him, jumping up and down.

His answer remained the same. Stoically, he replied, "No."

"Please?"

"No."

"But it's not gonna be fun unless you come!" she whined, sitting backwards in Takuya's chair so she could face him. "I'll even give you half my candy!"

"Done."

"WHAT?"

Kouichi smirked. "How else do I control your candy craze? I was planning on going anyway," he said smoothly, leaning back in his chair comfortably, arms crossed in front of his chest as he regarded Kako with amused eyes.

"NO FAIR! KOUICHI! YOU TRICKED ME!"

**-END FLASHBACK-**

Kouichi sighed as he remembered that moment and more. Finally, still sitting on his bed, he picked up his MP3 player from his side table and put the earphones on. "I need to listen to music," he muttered, pulling out his art pad and pencil from under his bed.

--------------------------------------------

Kako sighed as she ventured into the kitchen in search of chocolate. "Chocolate, chocolate, where the _hell_ are you?" she grumbled exasperated, eventually finding a hidden bag. "Well, Halloween candy'll do," muttered the girl as she unwrapped a piece of chocolate. With a small sigh, she murmured sadly, "Kouichi never took away half my candy…but he came with us anyway. Oh well, more chocolate for me."

Popping the chocolate into her mouth, Kako was about to head to her room before pausing as she heard giggles. "Hideki," she muttered disgustedly in an automatic reaction. "Great. Wonder who the girl is _now_…?"

The door opened, revealing Hideki and his new girlfriend locked together in a kiss. They were so caught up, they didn't even notice Kako as they stumbled through the doorway.

Kako cleared her throat to get their attention. Glaring at her brother, she placed her hands on her hips and asked, "You're drunk, aren't you?"

"Me?" Hideki asked, laughing. "No."

"Hideki, get out." Her tone was cold. "You know what Dad'll say…" _Things like, 'you're a bad influence on Kako,' and 'I'm going to make you move out.' I just can't wait to hear those…_

Her brother continued to laugh. "Oh, yeah, and there are boys asking for you. What'll Dad say about that?" he asked in a falsetto voice, mimicking Kako.

His younger sister's eyes widened considerably. "I-It was homework!"

"Sure, I'll check the tapes later." Hideki paused as the girl beside him whispered something in his ear. "Well, you got lucky this time. We're going over to Keiko's house. You, however, will pay up later."

Kako watched stolidly as her brother had left, then slammed the door shut, unleashing her silent fury. "I _won't_ let him order me around! It's not fair!" she growled angrily, heading to her room and falling back on her bed.

Sitting up, she reached for the phone, placing her hand over it lightly. She stopped almost immediately, wanting to tear her hand away from it as if it were a piece of burning coal, but found she couldn't. Drawing a breath, Kako murmured to herself, "Maybe I should call Kouji…and get more information…"

It was a start, at least. Then he wouldn't go around blabbing like the annoying boy he was.

There was a hesitation in her as she dialed Kouichi's numbers as slow as possible as if she would change her mind in the middle and hang up. Yet she pressed each number firmly, the hand on the phone tightening its grip and pressing the phone harder against her ear.

She held her breath as she pressed the last number. Someone talked on the other side of the line. Her eyes widened and she began to panic.

"Uh…hi…K-Kouji?" Kako murmured into the phone somewhat timidly.

"Hey! Kako!" he answered cheerfully.

Kako sighed in relief, the tension immediately lessening in the air around her. _Thank whatever that it wasn't Kouichi,_ she thought gratefully. "I-er…" It hadn't occurred to her that she didn't know what exactly to say. 'Tell me more about you!' didn't seem to sound very…Kako-ish.

"Yeah?"

…_don't know why the hell I'm doing this._ She could practically hear him laugh at her. Not just Kouji…but Kouichi as well. "Uhm, just wanted to talk…"

"What's up?" he asked with a small laugh.

She paused. "How about we meet…uh…tomorrow. You know, to, uhm…well, to get to know each other better," Kako mumbled lamely, thanking the stars Kouji wasn't in the same room as her as she felt her face heat up.

"Sure! Lunch sound good?"

"Uh…y-yeah."

"Then I'll meet you at the arcade tomorrow at lunch!"

Kako said goodbye quickly before hanging up and covering her mouth. _I…am…stupid. Did I just do that?_ Swallowing nervously, she looked frantically around her room before her eyes fell upon her PS2. "I _really_ need to play Kingdom Hearts," she said miserably, hopping off her bed and in front of the T.V.

------------------------------------------------

Kouichi sighed and put the finishing details on his picture. The phone had rung while he was in the middle, but he ignored it, considering it pointless to answer. It would either be Takuya or Junpei asking for Kouji or some idiot telemarketer there to waste his time.

He held up his picture and placed his pencils down, scrutinizing every single detail of the picture possible. "Red XIII's tail is still iffy…oh whatever. I wonder if Kouji's done cooking…" he wondered aloud, leaning back against the wall his bed was against and closing his eyes as the music filled him.

And there was something familiar in the back of his mind…something he was sure he wouldn't forget for a long, long time.

----------------------------------------------

Kako sighed as she placed the controller on the floor and watched the scene on the T.V. "Stupid Sora…he's so stupid. And Kairi…sheesh! Why doesn't she just jump onto the platform _he's_ on?" she muttered angrily. Quickly, she fell silent as the music started.

_Simple and Clean…I used to love listening to it_, Kako thought with a sigh, looking at her hands, then up at the T.V. _I wonder…what Kouichi's doing right now…_

Smiling sadly, she whispered the words to herself.

_When you walk away,_

_You don't hear me say, 'Please,_

Oh baby, don't go…' 

Kako felt tears stream down her cheeks, but she quickly wiped them away and turned off the PS2 angrily. "Damn it all…he deserves better! Why am I thinking about him?" she yelled, frustrated with her miserable state.

She wanted…no…she needed to see Kouichi. Kouichi and his smile…

Kako turned off the T.V. and stood up, heading to her bed. As she lay down and closed her eyes, the rest of the song continued to play through her head…

You're giving me too many things 

_Lately, you're all I need_

You smiled at me and said… 

…_giving me too many things…speaking of which, I still need to open his presents,_ Kako thought, sitting up suddenly and looking at her table where her presents were at. Various wrappers lay around, with no meaning, and in the middle of them lay the presents Kouichi had given her.

'_Don't get me wrong I love you,_

_But does that mean I have to meet your father?_

_When we're older, you'll understand _

_What I meant when I said, "No,_

_I don't think life is quite that simple…"'_

Life would never be simple for her again. Kako winced and shook her head in an attempt to get the song out of her head. It didn't work. Instead, it made her remember the part she detested most at the moment.

_Hold me,_

_Whatever lies beyond this morning,_

_Is a little later on._

_Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all,_

_Nothing's like before._

"Well, Ms. Utada, the future _does_ scare me! Stupid song!" Kako growled angrily. The future scared her…and everything had changed. Everything was completely messed up. Her life wasn't the same, easy, carefree one it was before. No, first she had lost her mother, and then her best friend all because she was afraid of him being her boyfriend.

No, she was afraid of commitment. She was afraid of being left alone once their relationship was over with. Instead, Kako had ended up shortening it, possibly ending it for good.

_It could have lasted longer…maybe, just maybe_, Kako thought, lying back down on her bed again, this time, Kouichi's presents beside her head. She turned to look at them, then sighed. _Now…isn't the time…_

Maybe next time.

-------------------------------------------

Kouichi had nearly fallen asleep when he accidentally pressed a button on his MP3 player, switching songs. "Wh-what the?" he exclaimed in surprise, immediately waking up and sitting up with a start. "I…oh…it switched songs," he murmured, leaning back against the wall.

He hated this song.

All the more reason to listen to it.

_Donna toki datte_

_Tada hitori de_

_Unmei wasurete_

_Ikite kita no ni_

_Totsuzen no hikari no naka me ga sameru_

Mayonaka ni 

So he was always alone. Even now, after finding Kouji, he still couldn't figure out where he fit in the picture. After rearranging all his group pictures that they were all in, Kouichi figured out a natural order for everyone to be in: Takuya and Izumi stood by each other, Junpei was a bit behind Izumi, Kouji was on the other side of Takuya, and Tomoki stood in the front. But in every single one of those pictures, Kouichi was lost…a black dot on a pure white piece of paper.

After all, he had the spirit of darkness, didn't he? It wouldn't make sense for him to fit in. And yet, he had never thought to quit once. There was no reason to keep going, was there?

_Imadoki yakusoku nante fuan ni saseru dake kana_

_Negai o kuchi ni shitai dake sa_

Kazoku ni mo shoukai suru yo Kitto umaku iku yo 

_Hah. Promises. There are none,_ thought Kouichi, now annoyed with the song. There could have been, had he just kept his wish silent and repressed. It was his fault for wanting too much, planning too ahead. And, after all, it wouldn't change Kako's relationship with his mother, much to his relief. They got along quite well, and Kako seemed to bring a certain cheer to his mother that wasn't always around.

_Sakiyomi no shisugi nante imi no nai koto wa yamete_

_Kyou wa oishii mono o tabeyou yo_

_Mirai wa zutto saki da yo_

Boku ni mo wakaranai 

Kouichi cringed. He had planned ahead. It was stupid. He had too much time on his hands, so what? _Stupid song…has to rub it in_…

_Motto hanasou yo_

_Mokuzen no ashita no koto mo_

_TEREBI keshite_

_Watashi no koto dake o miteite yo_

Tomorrow never came. It would never come to Kouichi. Not while he was like this, sick, confused, hurt, angry…no, he was still stuck in Christmas. He would be stuck there forever. He was forever lost.

And he could never look at anything the same again.

Rewinding the song, Kouichi replayed certain parts to punish himself before he realized that Kouji _still_ hadn't finished cooking. Annoyed, he was about to get up when Kouji came through the door, holding a plate with two slices of pizza.

"Achem, now sit back, relax, and listen," Kouji said, placing the pizza on his brother's desk before clearing his throat. And then…much to Kouichi's distress, he began to sing,

"_A Pizza Hut, _

_A Pizza Hut, _

_Kentucky Fried Chicken, _

_And a Pizza Hut, _

_McDonalds, McDonalds, _

_Kentucky Friend Chicken, _

And a Pizza Hut!" 

Kouichi gripped the bed sheets tightly to restrain himself from murdering Kouji on the spot. "Kouji…" he said in a low voice.

Kouji just laughed. "Did you like the song? I thought it was appropriate, you know, considering you're having pizza for dinner and all! So, did you like it?" asked the younger twin eagerly.

In response, Kouichi threw his pillow at Kouji, yelling, "GET OUT OF MY ROOM, NOW!"

Kouji quickly dove out of Kouichi's room in horror. _He's a monster!_ he thought, sniffing. "Some brother…"

Kouichi slammed the door shut and leaned against it, staring at the pizza. _Idiot Kouji…even Utada Hikaru's stupid songs make me happier than that…_

Yet he smiled a small smile, one that was sad. "I guess…I'm hoping for too much…as usual," whispered Kouichi softly as he sat at his desk and began to eat, his MP3 player and art pad lying on his bed somewhat carelessly.

-------------------------------------

A/N-

.:sniffs:. Wow, I'm sick, too. Anyway, Kouichi fans hate me? I hate myself, too. .:sobs:. Poor Kouichi, he must feel bad! But he gets to play videogames, so he got lucky. Sorry I took forever to update. Homework, had Marching Band performance yesterday, and yeah…no time that week. Hopefully this week…

.:Kouichi:. Go fix your disclaimer, loser.

Shut up! Just because Kouji gets to date a girl you like, doesn't mean you have to take your anger out by ordering me around!

.:Kouichi:. And go finish _Of Broken Hearts And Jealousy_.

So…I incorporated a song. I should have made it better. I mean, honestly, it's so ick! Oh well…hopefully, the next song I incorporate will be…better? Review and give me a bit of insight on that. That's my first time ever adding a song to a fic, and it seems…bad.

Review or Flame.


	17. Sometimes, It's Best Not To Know

Disclaimer-It should be obvious that I do not own Digimon.

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Sometimes, It's Best Not To Know

-------------------------------------

It wasn't an easy sleep for Kako that night, but somehow, she managed to get more than an hour of sleep. And even though she did, she still woke up at five, cold and numb from the fear of Hideki telling her father about Kouji.

That wasn't what she needed now.

_I miss Mom_, Kako thought glumly, making her way into the kitchen as soon as she had changed. To her surprise, her father sat at the dining table, reading the paper. "D-dad, what are you…doing…home…this quick?" she asked in amazement.

Mr. Sakai looked up from his paper and inclined his head in acknowledgment. "Kako. How are you? Shouldn't you be asleep?"

A smirk threatened to appear on Kako's face as she thought, _I'm not a hopeless slob like brother dear._ Out loud, she confessed, "I…couldn't sleep."

"I see. Your brother showed me the surveillance camera he set up yesterday…"

He didn't have to say anymore for Kako to realize what this was about. "Uhm, that…" Kako muttered, looking at her feet. "I…uh…"

Her father cut off, "And I couldn't see anything. We were both quite surprised…"

Kako looked up, eyes wide. "What?"

"The screen was black."

_Takuya, you little devil, I swear, the next time I see you…I'll pay you back,_ Kako thought, smiling to herself. "Oh. I'm sure you didn't miss anything. My group came over for a school project. It's a biology project," she lied easily.

"I see…"

The girl shifted under the scrutinizing gaze of her father somewhat uncomfortably. "Uhm…you know Hideki has a new girlfriend, right?"

Her father went back to his paper, uninterested. "Again?"

"Uh…yeah…"

"I see."

Kako stood there, unsure of what else to say. Unlike Hideki, she couldn't rat a person out straight away. It was just too…

Not her.

Tears stung her eyes as she turned around to face away from her father. "I…I'm going out," she said in a forced whisper.

"Make sure you come back before dinner," was all her father said in response.

_To hell with that…to hell with you,_ Kako thought, angrily pushing her way past Hideki as he walked into the kitchen and then quickly dashing out the door.

Hideki watched his sister race out the door. "What's with her?"

Mr. Sakai merely shrugged.

-------------------------------------

"Kouichi! You awake?" Kouji called, knocking on his brother's door.

No answer.

"Kouichi?"

Still, no answer.

Kouji grinned and warned his brother, "Okay, I'm coming in!"

There was no answer as Kouji opened the door and marched in, cackling until he realized his brother wasn't in bed.

It was five forty-two. Kouichi always set his alarm for six eighteen.

Kouji frowned. "Oh, fine, ruin my fun, why don't you?" he grumbled, heading into the kitchen and asked his mother, "Mom, have you seen Kouichi?"

But his mother shook her head. "He must've gone out early, which I don't really approve of. He could get even _more_ sick! What am I going to do with you two…"

Kouji just laughed and headed outside. _And I thought _I_ was bad…Kouichi's weird whenever he's sick. I swear, he m-wait…is that him?_

Kouji squinted his eyes to get a better look at the figure that stood huddled against the railing of a nearby building, looking up at the sky as if waiting for something. In his hands was the unmistakable art pad that Kouichi always had.

Kouji frowned. _What's he doing?_ The bandana boy tried to come up with various possibilities of what his brother could be doing, but couldn't think up a single one.

Finally giving up on guessing, Kouji walked up to the building and started to climb the stairs, stopping when he saw Kako halfway to the top. "Kako?"

Kako whirled around, eyes wide. "Uh…uhm…hi?"

"What are you doing here?" he asked, a smile breaking the startled look on his face.

Shivering, Kako stepped away from him and looked behind her. "I…well, nothing, really. I come here…a lot…"

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't question any further. "Did you eat breakfast? And aren't you cold? You're just wearing a T-shirt…"

Kako blushed and shook her head. "I'm fine, thanks."

"Liar."

She shivered again as the first rays of the sun peeked out behind the clouds, still not strong enough to warm her. "B-but, we…might as well start now, huh?"

"Want to come over?"

Again, Kako blushed. "No, that's…okay."

"Kouichi's on the rooftop, you know. It's not like he's inside," Kouji informed her gently.

Kako just shook her head. In a soft whisper, she replied, "I-it's not that…it's just…complicated."

Kouji nodded. "Alright, then, arcade?"

"It won't be open now."

"Your house?" he asked hopefully.

Her eyes darkened. "My father's home, my brother's home, they even put up surveillance cameras to watch me. Not only that, but it seems I have to be babied and Hideki doesn't, even though he's acting like one because he _still freaking lives in the same house!_" Kako growled angrily, her voice rising dangerously before she realized it. As soon as she did, she squeaked and ran down the stairs, covering her mouth with a hand.

Kouji followed, amused with her reaction. "Family problems, huh?"

"Worse than you could imagine. What's Kouichi doing up there, anyway?" she asked leaning against the wall of the building and sighing.

He shrugged. "No clue, really. I was just about to ask him."

A silence fell upon them, both looking up the stairs, at the rooftop.

"He's probably trying to draw the sunrise again," Kako murmured thoughtfully. "I always told him it was the hardest…and he tried to prove me wrong…"

Without warning, Kouji pulled her towards him, his arms wrapped around her waist. A smile appeared as he leaned towards her. "Yeah, well…shall we go?"

Kako's eyes widened momentarily before she realized he what he was doing. Twitching, she growled, "Kouji, I told you I wasn't cold. Remove your hands, _now_."

He chuckled and did as she asked. "Couldn't blame me for trying, could you?"

"In your dreams."

"Oh, back with the Ms. I-Am-Superior attitude, huh?"

"Shut it!" Kako snapped, her eyes brimming with tears.

Kouji cleared his throat and in his best falsetto, mimicked Kako, "No, I'm the best, therefore you must all bow down to me! Don't touch me, I'm too good for you!"

Despite the fact that she was crying, Kako burst into laughter and Kouji quickly joined her. It was only when she started crying full out that Kouji stopped and wrapped his arms around her and murmured soothingly, "It's not your fault, you know…it really isn't…"

And he wished at that moment that they were already in the arcade, for the gaze upon them wasn't one of sorrow, but pure hatred.

----------------------------------------

"Hah! Kouichi, everyone knows that sunrises are the hardest to draw!" Kako laughed as soon as Kouichi had mentioned how hard it was to draw the sunset.

_Kouichi smirked. "Is it? They aren't that hard."_

_Kako rose an eyebrow. "Have you ever tried?"_

"_No."_

"_And why is that?"_

"_Because, sunrises are boring," he answered, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes._

"_Hah! Lies! I bet you couldn't draw a sunrise if your life depended on it!"_

Kako's words rang in Kouichi's ears as he woke up that morning at four eighteen, two hours earlier than usual. He had no idea what to do, so he went outside, properly dressed for the weather so his mother wouldn't throw a fit, and took his art pad, ready to capture the sunrise and prove Kako wrong.

Of course it meant a bit over three hours of waiting, but he didn't care. Nothing seemed to matter.

At about five twenty, he saw Kako rush up the stairs, and heard her stop halfway, probably after realizing Kouichi was up there. At around five fifty, he saw his twin head over, a curious look on his face.

And then, silence.

Kouichi guessed they were doing one of two things-they were either talking or they were engaged in an extremely passionate moment, and while the latter seemed to fit Kouji, knowing Kako, it was the first reason.

And before he knew it, there was once more that pit in his heart…

Darkness…

Darkness threatened to swallow him up again. His hands pushed against the railing as he pressed all his weight into it, as if to make it fall. But nothing happened.

There was only one difference between this and the digital world.

This time, a simple baleful look would be his weapon. This time, he had no power.

As he watched his brother walk off with Kako, Kouichi looked back at the sky, even more determined to prove Kako wrong.

-------------------------------------------

"Well, it isn't lunch, but breakfast is good, right?" Kouji asked Kako as they sat down in the small café in the back of the bookstore. Mr. Saito had been more than happy to let them in.

Kako nodded, her mind on something else as she looked outside the clear walls.

"So what are you thinking about?"

"Questions to ask you," she replied absentmindedly.

Kouji smiled and lifting the cup of hot chocolate to his lips as he said, "Well, shoot away."

Inclining her head, Kako murmured her first question, "Why…do-why…why do you want me to be your girlfriend? Or, sorry, pose as your girlfriend?"

The smile widened as he placed down the cup. "I didn't tell you?"

"If you did, I certainly don't remember."

"Well, it's a revenge thing."

She nodded and lapsed into silence once more.

"My turn," Kouji suddenly said. "When and how did you meet Kouichi?"

"Okay, so, well…it was fourth grade…and I just moved here. So our teacher had him show me around. He was really polite, but quiet. And after that, I ran into him the day later at the train station…literally. Eventually, we got to know each other pretty well, and Mom even like him." Kako paused and drew a breath before she continued, "But around the time Kouichi was in the hospital, my mom died, and I got stupid with an idiotic family. We moved to Tokyo about a month after that. And now I'm back…I…yeah…"

Kouji nodded. "I met Kouichi in the digital world, but you already know that! Wasn't the most pleasant experience in my life. Let's just say, when Kouichi's possessed…he's stronger than you think."

"But you still beat him," murmured Kako, looking up at him. "My turn. Do you hate Kouichi?"

"Nope."

"Then why-"

"That's two questions, but I'll answer it anyway. Of course I don't hate Kouichi. He's my brother. And…I have my reasons for doing what I do to him…"

Kako frowned as another question came in mind. "He told me you weren't always so goofy…what's that about?"

Kouji grinned sheepishly as he replied in a whisper, "Takuya and bet. Those are the two words I'll give you."

Rolling her eyes, Kako looked out the window again. "Your turn."

"You don't have to answer this, but…how did your mom die exactly?" Kouji asked gently.

There was a silence that Kouji had expected. Kako gazed down at the table, examining its speckled surface as if it held the answer. "I…well, she…uh…"

"And Kako doesn't need to answer that," a new voice cut in rudely. Both Kako and Kouji turned their heads up quickly to find Hideki glaring at them. "Kako, Dad said to give you your jacket. And why are you talking to him?"

Kouji smiled sweetly. "Why do you care?" he asked, his voice becoming dangerously sweet, too much for Kako's liking.

Kako snatched her jacket from Hideki. "Go out with your girlfriend so you two can make out like yesterday," she snapped icily, looking out the window.

"Why the hell are you so mad at me?" her brother shouted, exasperated.

Kako turned to him, enraged. "Because, you jerk, you keep getting me into trouble! If mom were alive-"

"Well she isn't! Live with it, kid!" Hideki snapped back.

Kouji had slipped out of his seat and found a suitable bamboo stick, then aimed it at Hideki's head. "Well, you up to it?"

The girl winced. "Kouji, that's not the brightest ide-" she tried to warn him, but Hideki quickly disarmed him and sent Kouji skidding back against the wall. "HIDEKI!"

Hideki ignored her as he stopped at the doorway and growled to Kouji, turning his head to face the bandana boy, "You better watch it. One step out of line with my sister and you'll wish you were never born.

Kouji stood up with a grin and walked over to Kako. "What? You mean like this?" he asked with mock innocence, pulling Kako into a kiss.

But instead of the usual short kiss, he did his best to annoy Hideki, going as far as to slip his tongue into Kako's mouth and deepen the kiss considerably.

Kako's eyes widened, but she found herself paralyzed in fear of several things.

Kouji slowly pulled away from her, smirking. "Oh no, what now?"

"Kouji!" Kako exclaimed, squeaking slightly as a blush quickly found its way up her cheeks.

"You little…" Hideki quickly found another bamboo stick as Kouji picked up his own fallen one.

"HIDEKI! NO!" Kako yelled, looking at both the boys as they prepared to fight. _Why are boys such idiots…?_

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A/N-

I updated quicker! Yes! .:really happy that I did:. I'm sorry I didn't the other two times…I got held back by a few things, including homework, colorguard, tkd, etc. So…are you enjoying it so far? Thank you to all the reviewers, you're really awesome. Feedback is helping me.

I really need to read more manga at this point. If only I had more time….:sigh:. Anyway, I have to do homework at the moment, and then go to practice…actually, I don't think I have time for hmwk. So, review or flame. Tell me if I needed to improve on some part. Ewww, Kouji, don't kiss Kako!

Review or Flame.


	18. Sometimes, It's Best To Know

Disclaimer- Ew, there's an eyelash in my sandwich. I don't own Digimon.

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Sometimes It's Best To Know

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The boys mentally prepared themselves as they gazed at one another, neither faltering as they slowly lowered their sticks, then lunged.

"Hideki Sakai and Kouji Minamoto! Would you two immature idiots quit it? MR. SAITO!" Kako eventually yelled, running out the door. Her eyes flashed at the clock momentarily as she headed to the front desk. _Seven thirty-eight. Kouichi should be done with the sunrise by now…to prove me wrong,_ she thought just as she reached the front desk. "Mr. Sa-Kouichi…uh…wh-uh…" stuttered Kako as soon as she met eyes with the black haired boy.

Kouichi glanced at her, his gaze unwaveringly calm. After a few seconds, he inclined his head, but stayed silent.

From the back, the yells continued to gain volume.

"LOBO KENDO FURY!"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU HAVE ATTACK NAMES FOR, TWERP?"

"DON'T CALL ME A TWERP, OLD MAN!"

"OLD? ME! OLD? PIPSQUEAK, I'LL FLATTEN YOU INTO A PANCAKE!"

Kako winced as the threats continued, eventually dying down. The silence was soon replaced by crashing, and Kako could only guess they dented, or possibly shattered, the glass walls. Biting her lower lip, she turned to Kouichi, attempting to start a conversation, "So…Kouichi, have you seen Mr. Saito?"

He studied Kako for a moment before merely shrugging. As hard as he tried, and as desperate as he was to make amends with her, Kouichi still was unable to find his voice around Kako.

The two stood there, gazes locked until Mr. Saito came over with a book in hand. "Here it is, Kouichi," the bookstore owner announced, handing the book to Kouichi and accepting the money he received, "last copy, too."

Nodding in his thanks, Kouichi looked at the book in his hands, starting to leaf through it as he headed outside.

_Don't go…please_, Kako begged silently. _Run after him, Kako!_ But despite what her mind told her, she could only watch as he turned the corner, tearing her heart out as he did. _Maybe…he's…just…_ Kako bit back her emotions and turned to Mr. Saito. "What did he buy?" she asked softly, but curiously.

Mr. Saito smiled as he answered, "A strategy guide. It's a good thing I moved that fight to the spare room, otherwise all my glass windows would be shattered, don't you think?"

As he laughed, Kako nodded with a forced smile. "But…what if they weren't glass?"

"Well, people go to that café occasionally. Can't have them getting hurt, can I?"

Then, Mr. Saito's words took fool effect on Kako. "W-wait…you said strategy guide," she said slowly. "He games?"

Mr. Saito shrugged and simply told her, "Some people aren't what they seem."

--------------------------------

"Oww," Kouji winced as he exited the room. Hideki, equally injured, followed behind him, also groaning.

"If you hadn't kissed my sister…" Hideki yelped in pain as Kako kicked his shin.

Kouji let out an uneasy laugh and tried running off, but found he stumbled every time he tried, due to his many injuries. Instead, he merely gulped and offered a smile to Kako, who was fuming.

"You two are _complete_ imbeciles! Honestly, what other two boys would irk each other to the point of a kendo match?" shrieked Kako, kicking Kouji's shin.

Letting out a groan, Kouji sank to his knees. "Well sorry! I annoy Kouichi to that point, but he's not as violent!"

"Th-" Kako struggled to get out the words at the thought of Kouichi. "That's not the point!"

Hideki shrugged. "As long as this twerp isn't dating you."

"Well I am! LOBO KENDO FURY!" Kouji shouted, stick in hand as he jumped to the attack.

"KOUJI MINAMOTO I'M GOING TO TELL EVERYONE WHAT YOU'RE UP TO IF YOU DON'T STOP!" Kako barked.

The stick stopped two inches from Hideki's face. Hideki's gaze was upon Kouji, unwavering, despite the threat the bandana head had posed.

Kouji dropped to the floor, landing on his feet and almost collapsing as he did. He stumbled forward, stopping in front of Kako and yanking slightly on her hand. "Can we go now?" he asked grumpily, wanting to get out of the bookstore as soon as possible. He felt uncomfortable with Hideki constantly glaring at him. It's not like he was in a serious relationship with Kako.

Kako turned to Hideki, who watched Kouji with a venomous glare. "Hideki…"

"What?" her brother snapped rudely.

She paused a second before murmuring, "I have my own life. Please, let me live it."

Hideki watched the two walk out the door before his gaze softened and he let out a sigh. "I don't want you to get hurt," he murmured. "I liked that Kouichi kid better…the twerp…he can defend himself…but he's up to something."

-----------------------------------

Kouichi picked up the controller for the second time in his life. His eyes were glued on the television screen as he pressed the correct buttons to load the game without even having to look at the buttons even once. It just came naturally to him; it was as if he knew what to do.

And, although he didn't expect it, it gave him a serene feeling…a calm.

What he needed at the moment.

"Poor Aeris," he murmured, "must be tough losing your mom and knowing that psychos are after you because you have special abilities. Then again…" He quickly saved as he heard footsteps at the door. "More interesting than my life."

Kouichi turned off the PS2 and headed to his room, shutting the door just as he heard his brother and Kako enter.

"KOUICHI! WHERE ARE THE BAND-AIDS?" Kouji yelled, sinking onto the couch.

Kako shut the door and leaned against it, feeling somewhat uncomfortable knowing that Kouichi was in the same room as her.

In the meantime, Kouichi walked out of his room and headed to the bathroom to get the band-aids. As he walked into the living room, he tossed the box to his brother. "Band-aids or bandanas?"

"Shaddup," Kouji grumbled, fumbling to open the box.

Smirking, the older twin muttered, "More like you need to be mummified. What did you do, now?"

Scowling when he found no suitable bandage for his wounds, Kouji threw the box at his twin and growled, "I challenged Hideki to a kendo match. Sue me."

Kouichi couldn't help but laugh as he skillfully intercepted the box. "Wow, that's just stupid. Don't tell me you didn't know he was the school's regional champion in his senior year."

"WHAT?" Kouji stood up angrily, his face flushing red. He turned somewhat stiffly to Kako, who was staring at the ceiling and whistling. "You didn't tell me?"

She just shrugged and looked at the floor. "I tried to warn you," mumbled Kako, avoiding Kouichi's surprised gaze.

Swallowing, Kouichi headed to the kitchen and asked awkwardly, "So…are…you guys hungry?"

"I am! Sheez, what do I have to do? RESEARCH EVERYONE? THIS IS INSANE!" Kouji complained, storming to his room and slamming the door.

_What about the bet? Oh well, all the more blackmail,_ Kako thought with a small smile. Biting her lip, she gathered her courage and walked into the kitchen. "So…"

"I couldn't get it," Kouichi murmured softly.

Kako's eyes widened. _What…is he talking to me?_

"The sunrise," the boy continued, looking at her with a straight face, "I couldn't get it."

Opening her mouth, Kako was about to say something before she shut her mouth, closed her eyes and shook her head. "No, I lied, you know," she commented with a light laugh. "Sunsets are the hardest to draw. I just wanted you to look at a sunrise for once."

Kouichi fell silent, unable to say anymore. _What do I say,_ he thought, _to get over this?_

"D-do you need any help?" Kako asked suddenly, blushing lightly.

He turned to her, puzzled. "I…uh…if you'd like to help, you can."

Kako nodded.

"Okay, sure." _Help me…save me…from this…_

Despite the fact that they were closer than they had been in days, Kouichi fell as if he were still sinking much like a rock in the sea.

---------------------------------------

"YES! SUGAR! CAKE!" Kouji cheered as soon as Kouichi announced the food was ready.

Kako sat at the table quietly as Kouichi brought over the cake he had made. She contemplated whether or not Kouichi was still angry with her, but found the topic incredibly hard to figure out. Instead, she watched Kouji intently, hoping there would be ways she could avoid him.

After all, knowing that he was only acting that way because of a bet meant he was dangerous after all.

Kouji quickly cut a slice for himself, then Kako and Kouichi. However, Kouichi quickly took the rest of the cake away.

"No more today," was all he said before putting his slice away with the rest of the cake.

A baffled look appeared on Kako's face. "You're not going to eat any?"

Kouichi just shrugged. "It's best if I don't." When he realized she was still confused, he sighed, "I'm still sick."

"Oh…" Kako murmured, looking at her slice, completely uninterested.

Kouichi headed to the living room and turned on the PS2, starting to play as Kouji quickly finished his cake and attempted to get seconds. Shaking her head with a small smile, Kako passed the bandana boy her untouched cake. "Go ahead and eat it. I'm not that hungry right now," she told him, picking herself up and walking over to the couch to see what Kouichi was doing.

Kouji complied happily, quickly finishing his second slice, and placing the dishes in the sink so he could join Kako in staring at his brother. Quietly, after disposing of the dishes, he crept up to her and whispered, "Weird, isn't it?"

Completely caught off guard, Kako nearly yelped, but stopped herself in time. Instead, she turned around with wide eyes, then nodded, still shocked. "He's better than you…"

"HUH! OH REALLY? WELL-" Kouji started.

At this point, Kouichi had frozen and realized they were watching him. Turning around, he twitched nervously, glaring at his brother. "What?"

"Uh…" Kouji stuttered for a long time. "HI!"

Kako mentally slapped her forehead. _Idiot…_

"I just realized," Kouichi said calmly, "that you still haven't done your lit project that we were supposed to finish over the break."

Kouji froze, his eyes widened as his jaw fell.

"Not to mention all the math homework you so conveniently _left at home…_"

A wince. Kako watched Kouji, amused at how easily he was tortured when it came to homework. _Great, so if he annoys me, I remind him of homework! Thank gods there's Kouichi,_ she thought with a small smile.

Another voice in her head snickered, _Makes you wish you weren't being an idiot, huh?_

Kako stepped back, shutting her eyes as the voice laughed. She shook her head and opened her eyes to watch Kouji try to wrestle the controller out of Kouichi's hands. "Wh…you know, you're going to end up breaking it!" she snapped, glaring at the twins.

Both of them stared at her until Kouichi let go, removed his game and memory card, and left for his room without a word.

Kouji on the other hand, turned off his PS2 and rolled up the controller, smirking triumphantly. He turned to Kako with an amused smile, then walked up to her. "You're pretty good."

"What are you talking about?" Kako asked, doubly baffled by Kouji's comment and Kouichi's behavior. Yet, inside, her heart was sinking. _He still hates me…_

But Kouji just laughed. "That's the only time I've seen Kouichi act like that. He just shuts up and goes to a secluded corner. And yet, it's only around you."

Kako pointed out in her defense, "He does that around all girls."

"Yes, but he glares at them."

"He-well…he…u-what's your point?" snapped the girl, suddenly annoyed.

"You'll see. But now, I think we need to have a small talk…"

Kako swallowed. She didn't especially like this side of Kouji.

Not when things were going to get serious again.

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Kouichi sat on his bed, leaning against the wall with his eyes shut to calm himself. A breeze managed to blow through his window, causing the shutters, which were drawn down, to rattle a bit.

It was then that he opened his eyes, shrinking into the shadows as he did. He curled up into a small ball, hugging his knees and resting his head on his kneecaps. Kouichi shivered, suddenly scared.

_Darkness is only bad when you make it bad!_ That was what Patamon had told him shortly after Kouji had defeated him in the digital world. Yet, even after he had gotten the _true_ spirits of darkness, Kouichi couldn't help but feel that there was a small piece of him that was threatening to let darkness swallow him.

And even after coming out of the digital world, he felt it. He had tried to ignore the feeling for four years, but no matter what Kouichi did to repent, it was there, and he knew it.

Whimpering as he heard the door shut, Kouichi realized Kouji and Kako must have gone out again, and so got out of bed and sat on the floor, examining the quick sketch of the sunrise he had made. It was a shade of bright colors fit for a sunset, making Kouichi wonder why he couldn't find peace in the light pastels of a sunrise. He had intentionally changed the picture, thinking that pastel colors didn't fit a sunrise, but instead, he had created it into a sunset.

_It's because darkness ends everything_, he thought glumly, pushing the picture under his bed. Right now, all he wanted to do was go to the digital world and never come back. Maybe there he would have a peaceful life.

Picking himself up, Kouichi moved to his desk, where a small box sat. "Kako told me not to open it until my birthday," he murmured softly, fingering the box. Slowly withdrawing his hand, he sighed.

He couldn't wait anymore. Even now, especially considering he was still sick, Kouichi swore he even heard voices that drove him crazy. Shadows leapt at him, came alive and tried to drag him in. But above all, he still heard that same laugh.

Lucemon's laugh.

And it refused to end.

Letting out an angry cry, Kouichi slammed his fist into the wall above his table, ignoring the pain that surged up his arm. _Maybe it's time to go ask him again,_ Kouichi thought, rubbing his fist absentmindedly.

He walked out the door, letting out a small cough and ignoring the pain in his chest. Maybe some fresh air would do him some good.

Fresh air, and someone to tell him what was going on.

--------------------------------------------

Kako followed Kouji outside and to the park, lagging behind on purpose.

_Please don't let him open it yet, please not yet, please not yet, please, not yet, please,_ she repeated in her head, over and over again that she didn't hear Kouji call her name.

"Kako Sakai, are you in there?" Kouji asked, exasperated as he waved a hand in front of her face.

Surprised, she stepped back. "Huh? Wh-oh…what?"

He rolled his eyes and yanked her towards him, saying in a low voice, "We need to talk."

"About…?"

"You."

"What about me?" she growled, trying to yank her hand free. _GET TO THE POINT AND LET GO OF MY HAND._

Kouji tightened his grip. "You and Kouichi. I want to know why you really rejected him."

Keeping a cool face, she replied, "Oh, I'll use the same reason why you refuse to tell me why you want to hurt him like this."

"I'm not hurting him, I'm helping him," Kouji countered, unfazed. "Now tell me."

Kako gasped as he tightened his grip even more. "Let me go! What are you trying to do, break my wrist?"

"If need be, yes."

She glared at him before attempting to kick him. But Kouji quickly stopped her by tightening his grip again. Biting her lip to ignore the pain, Kako muttered, "Fine, just let go."

Satisfied, Kouji loosened his grip considerably and waited for his answer. "Yes?"

"I…I d-don't…want…Kouichi to…k-…" Kako stuttered, unable to find the words. Swallowing, she looked up at Kouji with tear filled eyes. "You see, it starts with my family…"

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A/N-

That was incredibly stupid.

But I'm getting to the point. Joy. What with homework, guard practice and Taekwon-Do, I'm completely behind in everything. So…I may take a while in posting chapters. Sorry. It's not intentional, it's school, something that's incredibly annoying and needs to stop tormenting the lives of children of all ages.

But yeah, sorry about the crappy chapter. I'll make up for it with the next one.

Review or Flame.


	19. To Be Or Not To Be

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon, obviously, but that would be cool if I did.

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To Be Or Not To Be? Let's Rethink This Question…

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Kouji groaned as he slammed his locker shut. They were back in school. Being back in school meant homework. And homework meant no time to even edit his plans.

His plans, of course, which involved spending time with Kako to annoy both her and Kouichi to death, but that was beside the point.

No, what Kouji really feared was any mention of Lucemon, even the slightest hint that Lucemon could be in the real world. It just didn't seem possible. But he would have time to worry about that later. There were even more pressing matters at hand.

"You never finished your project," Kouichi remarked, walking up to his twin with a blank face. "Good luck lying to the stupid teacher of ours."

Rolling his eyes, Kouji stuck out his tongue and opened his locker. "I have it…it's somewhere in my locker…that's it…"

But the older twin just shut the locker and replied, "It's in my locker. I finished it for you last night."

"LIFESAVER!" exclaimed Kouji, attempting to hug his brother.

Quietly, Kouichi pushed Kouji away and headed to his locker to get the project. He passed Takuya and Izumi with the same dead silence.

Takuya walked over to Kouji, a glare on his face that clearly said, 'I-told-you-we-went-too-far.'

Izumi, however, frowned as she looked from the grinning Kouji to the glaring Takuya. Growling, she asked impatiently, "Alright, spill. What's going on?"

Kouji put on his most innocent smile and calmly replied, "Nothing."

"KOUJI MINAMOTO GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!" Kako yelled, running over to them and pushing Takuya out of the way so she could grab Kouji's collar. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT YOUR DAD KNEW MY GRANDFATHER?"

"I do recall stating that at the beginning of the year," Kouji said, blinking and staring at Kako before grinning. "Hey, do you mind letting go? People are staring."

She just glared at him before letting go of his collar and kicking his shins. "Idiot."

Trying to hold in his pain, Kouji forced a smile. He dragged his hurt leg as he walked over to Kouichi's locker in an attempt to find his project and get away from both Kako and Izumi, but failed as soon as Takuya opened his mouth.

"It's Kouji's fault, I didn't do it," was all the goggle-boy said before marching off angrily.

Izumi looked at Kako in confusion. Kako stared at the ceiling, pretending to be interested in it as much as possible. As soon as Izumi cleared her throat, the younger cousin winced. "I…didn't do it…Kouji's forcing me to do it!"

"WHAT?" growled Izumi, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Oops?" Kako gulped as the bell rang. The first day of school after holiday break was definitely bound to be interesting…

----------------------------------------

"All right class, Mr. Ogata isn't here today, so I'll be taking over. Isn't that great? Get out your projects, now," Ms. Kawai said.

Kako looked up to make eye contact with her brother's former girlfriend, but found that the friendliness that was once there was replaced by a professional look. With a sigh, she got out her project with everyone else.

Ms. Kawai walked up to the desk, then examined the paper that was on top of the mess. "So apparently he wants you guys to read a play…we'll skip that. I never liked Romeo and Juliet. And since he's in Hawaii for most of the month, we're safe. Actually, I want to do a bit of a history lesson with you guys…"

Everyone rose their eyebrows and stared as Ms. Kawai collected their projects.

Fujitaka rose his hand. "Ms. Kawai, what do you mean 'history lesson?'"

"Well, I'm going to let you pick a topic you guys want to preview before next year so you'll be masters of that subject. It's only fair, considering Mr. Ogata doesn't even teach. So, any suggestions?" asked their teacher.

There was silence.

Finally, after a few seconds, Kouichi rose his hand.

Ms. Kawai smiled triumphantly. "Yes, Kouichi?"

Kouichi was quiet for a moment before he murmured, "Napoleon. His role with France after the French Revolution."

Everyone burst out into small conversations, unable to understand what Kouichi was talking about.

"Wait…who?" Kouji whispered to his brother.

"Napoleon," the older twin repeated. "Napoleon Bonaparte. That…military guy…I can't explain it so you'll understand," he finally said, flabbergasted with the look on Kouji's face.

Kako turned from Kouichi, to Kouji, to Ms. Kawai. "Why not…the entire French Revolution, then?"

Kouichi nearly choked. "Uh…no."

"Why not?" Kako snapped.

He paused, not sure what to say. Even when he answered, he just mumbled, "It's…suit yourself. But you won't like it."

"Well not all of us read ahead like you do."

"I don't. I just happen to be more informed than the rest of you."

"Well you also happen to-"

"Actually, I think it's better if we just do the Napoleon part of the French Revolution. Basically, the entire revolution was bloody," Ms. Kawai announced, shifting uncomfortably, "and you wouldn't exactly want to read about it. So, Napoleon it is. Unless there are other suggestions?"

Shocked, Kako opened her mouth in outrage, but quickly closed it, looking out the window angrily.

Ms. Kawai caught this. "Kako, I need to talk to you right now, if that's okay with you. And now, since we don't have the packets, I'm letting you all have some free time. So you can do whatever you want so long as you don't go outside the classroom or cause too much damage."

Everyone cheered. Kako walked up to Ms. Kawai, a blank look on her face.

Izumi, on the other hand, was lecturing Takuya and Kouji in great length. But the two boys were merely thinking up ways they could escape their torture.

"Kako…please, understand," Ms. Kawai murmured, "that you can't act like this."

Kako's expression turned cold. "I don't care."

Her teacher sighed. "You know what happened with your mother. I'm in her situation at the moment. It just can't be helped," replied Ms. Kawai in a quiet voice.

"That…doesn't matter! You can fight it, can't you?" Kako cried, running out of the room.

Ms. Kawai sighed again and looked around the room. _No one was listening…good,_ she thought, nodding to herself. Laying eyes upon Izumi who was strangling Kouji, the teacher gave a small smile. "No one except the usual," she murmured, her eyes turning to Kouichi, whose gaze was glued on her. "Eh, Mr. Darkness?"

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"So…I was like, 'No, _flutes_ are hotter.' And then s_he_ said, 'No, drums.' But everyone knows that the guitar players are the cutest!" Ai announced to her friend as they all made their way to the music room. She then turned to Kako. "Oh, yeah, Kako, what instrument does Kouichi play?"

Kako blinked several times before answering, "Umm…he's…he plays a bit of everything, I think…"

A smirk slyly creeped up onto Ai's face. "But…I thought you two were going out. Shouldn't you know?" she asked with mock innocence.

Kako turned beet red. "N-no! I'm…going out…with…uh, oh shi-I mean…DAMMIT ALL!"

"Stop cursing," Kouichi murmured as he passed her, not meeting her eyes. "It's not healthy."

Ai snickered as Kako turned even more crimson.

"I'm not going out with anyone," Kako growled, stomping ahead of Ai. Looking down, she wondered why people would just assume things such as that, but then again…

Had it not been for her, Kouichi wouldn't seem so far away.

Kako immediately snapped out of her thoughts as she felt something grab her hand. She nearly shrieked as she turned around and saw Kouji. "Gah!" yelped Kako, yanking her hand away, "don't sneak up on me, Kouji!"

Kouji smiled, but said nothing. "So…tonight sound good?"

"Busy."

"Tomorrow afternoon?"

"Busy then, too."

"Fine…when are you free, Kako?" Kouji grumbled, looking unhappy.

Sticking out her tongue, Kako refused to answer. Instead, she took a seat. "You know what I find weird?"

Taking a seat beside her, Kouji asked, "What?"

"The fact that we haven't had music class since…well, the first week of school."

"Oh. Didn't notice."

"You don't notice anything." _Because you're a dork who insists on torturing his brother,_ she added to herself silently.

Kouji smiled. "If you're thinking what I think you are, I _do_ notice. I told you, I have my reasons. So I suggest you go along with it. Unless, of course, you want me to-"

"Shut up?" Kako interrupted sarcastically. "Oh, sure, go ahead. Be my guest."

"…kiss you and make it look like we're going out?"

"NO WAY!"

Everyone turned to Kako, who had fallen out of her chair to avoid Kouji and anything he might try. Feeling the eyes on her, Kako laughed nervously, gulped and sat down in her seat, blushing as she did.

Kouji chuckled quietly, but kept his eyes glued on the teacher as Mrs. Nakamura entered the room.

"Alright, who can play what? Get to the point so we can hurry this up. Not like we have much time, anyway," Mrs. Nakamura grumbled.

Kako tilted her head to the side. _She's…older than I remember. It doesn't matter, as long as I don't…get…stuck with Kouji._ Kako suddenly turned to Kouji. "Kouji, _let go of my hand_," she hissed, using her right hand to pry Kouji's hand off her left hand. "I mean it."

Kouji said nothing, but instead, ignored her.

"Well…I can play the drums!" Takuya volunteered.

Izumi shrugged and raised an eyebrow at her struggling cousin. "Does it matter? I'm more of a piano person, right Kako?"

"Y-yeah. Uh…I play piano," Kako said, hastily sitting to face the front and acting casual as everyone looked at her again.

"I'm more of a guitar," was all Kouji said.

"Violin," someone else said.

As the entire class went around stating the instruments they played, Kako tried her hardest to release her hand from Kouji's grip. Her attempts proved fruitless however, and she nearly screamed in pain as he tightened his grip when Kouichi spoke.

"I…" Kouichi murmured, "I'll play anything."

Mrs. Nakamura rose an eyebrow. "Anything, you say?"

He nodded.

"So…you could play every single instrument I gave to you, then?"

Kako nearly choked. _She sounds so…amused. And my hand…and…Kouichi…why does he look like that?_ She frowned as she saw the empty look in Kouichi's eyes.

"Probably."

The teacher laughed, "Don't give yourself so much credit, kid."

Kouichi just shook his head. "I never said I'd play them better than another person in the room. By 'I'll play anything,' I meant if you give me an instrument, I'll learn it to the best of my abilities and play it. Obviously, you couldn't comprehend what I said," he replied with a simple shrug.

It was then that Mrs. Nakamura smiled. "Very good. Very, _very_ good. Now this is what we'll do. For today, I'll let you borrow instruments. And unless you're a piano or drummer, you can either bring instruments, or borrow them from me. As for now, I'll assign instruments."

As the entire class broke into separate conversations as Mrs. Nakamura went around listing the instruments they would play, Kouji loosened his hold on Kako's hand.

Kako whimpered as she rubbed her hand, sore from the excessive pressure that had been applied. "Idiot, why'd you do that?"

But Kouji just shrugged. "Hm. I felt like it."

There was a silence between them before Kako remembered what he had said before she had thoroughly embarrassed herself.

"About what you said earlier," she murmured. Kouji turned to her as she continued, "You weren't serious, were you?"

He chuckled. "Maybe. Maybe not."

Shivering, Kako tried to take the matter off her mind by discovering who would play what instrument.

"Ai…you'll play the flute," Mrs. Nakamura announced. "And so will Kouichi. Kako, you and Izumi will play the piano."

Kako's eyes widened. _ NO WAY CAN SHE PLAY THE FLUTE WITH KOUICHI,_ Kako thought jealously, _NO WAY._

Kouichi's expression, however, was blank.

Mrs. Nakamura continued, "Kouji, you will accompany Takuya on the drums."

Kouji nodded, obviously okay with the change. He stood up, preparing to go join Takuya, but first turned to Kako, a small smile on his face. "I'll be home pretty much every day this week until I go to kendo lessons at five. Whenever you can, come over. I need to talk to you about something," he told her before walking off.

Kako winced as she nodded and snuck a glance at Kouichi. The same vacant expression still stayed on his face, causing her to wonder what exactly he was thinking.

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The very next day, Kouichi walked into the classroom, worrying immensely. They were learning about Napoleon, true, and he was actually going to be interested.

But yesterday, seeing Ms. Kawai talk to Kako…after that, he was incredibly worried about what she would do. The last thing he wanted was to be paired up in a group with Kouji or Kako.

How unfortunate for him, though, that that's what Ms. Kawai had planned.

"Okay, so today, there are Napoleon packets on your desks! Isn't that great? And now you'll get your debate partners. I drew them up randomly yesterday, and there's still strange pairs…" Ms. Kawai trailed off to stare at Kouji and frown. "Anyway, we'll be having a debate. Anything you need to know is in the packet and now I'll read the groups. Izumi, you're with Kouji. Kanaye with Yuki, Eri with Ai, Kouichi with Kako, Fujitaka with…"

Kako stared at Kouichi's stiff figure. _Oh…no, you're kidding. NOT HIM! I'm doomed,_ she thought, sniffing a little. _Incredibly doomed._

As soon as Ms. Kawai finished announcing the names, she cleared her throat and waited for the excited conversations to die down. "I've put whether you're negative or affirmative on a paper that I will post up later. For now, read through the information and you can check after lunch. You'll have your debate in two weeks. If I didn't call out your name, you're a judge. Judges meet me at my desk, and everyone else, meet with your partner."

Everyone bolted out of their seats to meet with their partner or run to the front desk. Kouichi was semi-relieved to see that Kouji was judging, as he could never understand his brother's logic. Swallowing, he was even more determined to make amends with Kako as he turned around and tried to talk to her. "S-so…umm…"

"Er…right. So…" Kako mumbled, looking down at her desk.

Kouichi looked out the window. "We're going to be negative."

Kako looked up at him. "Really? How do you know?"

"I just do, I guess. So…let's look at the resolution, then."

She laughed nervously. "Um, what's a resolution?"

"It's…basically the motion we're trying to negate."

"Oh." Kako flipped through her packet. "It's talking about whether he upheld the ideals of the French Revolution or not."

Smiling, Kouichi turned to his own packet and flipped through it, his grin widening. "Okay, we've got an easy case."

There was a pause.

"Kako?"

Nothing.

Kouichi turned around and found Kako twisting the paper around, attempting to understand what it said. "Uh…Kako, you know that won't help."

"I don't get it! What do we do?" Kako whined.

He sighed. _This won't be easy,_ thought the boy as he opened her packet to the documents. "Look for examples of how Napoleon didn't uphold liberty, equality, or fraternity."

"Oh…okay." Shrugging cluelessly as Kouichi turned around, Kako proceeded to look through the packet.

"You know, Napoleon watched practically every play. And if he didn't like one, the playwright's career was ruined," Kouichi muttered aloud, scanning his book.

Kako shrugged again. "Napoleon reminds me of Shakespeare. Hah…'To be or not to be?' They should've both just not have existed."

There was silence. "Actually…" Kouichi murmured, "the character was supposed to be thinking of suicide when that line was written."

"Wh-…are you serious?" Kako exclaimed.

Kouichi nodded, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I didn't know that!"

"It's…kind of self-explanatory."

"No it isn't! You don't think about these things in depth!"

"Uh…it's obvious. 'To be,' meaning to _exist._"

Kako glared. "So we're supposed to assume that?"

"No…" Kouichi rolled his eyes at this point. "It's a _given_."

"No it isn't!"

"Yes, it is."

"NO!"

"Yes."

"NONONONONOOOOO!"

"Yes."

"You're impossible!"

"What a coincidence. So are you," replied Kouichi in a bored tone.

"God, I can't believe anyone likes you!" Kako suddenly snapped, slamming her packet on the table.

Kouichi's eyes widened as he choked. He stared out the window, his eyes flickering as he tried to recover from the pain that had been dealt to him.

Kako covered her mouth, realizing what she had just said. "Uh…K-Kouichi, I didn't…mean…that…"

"Let's just get working, okay?" he replied icily, his gaze not leaving the window.

Bowing her head in silent shame, Kako nodded.

----------------------------------------------------

"Hideki! I'm home!" Kako shouted, slinging her backpack off her shoulder and onto the ground with a dull thud. Looking around and finding no one, she frowned and headed to her brother's room, where she could hear muffled voices.

"…I don't give a damn about it! It's just a load of crap!" she could hear her brother say.

_Well, he always _was_ one for cursing_, Kako thought, rolling her eyes. _Who's he talking to…? Not Dad, obviously. Dad wouldn't allow that language. But then again, this is Hideki we're talking about._

There was a sigh. "I'm sorry, Hideki, but you know it just isn't possible. Think of what happened to your mother."

"Mom knew what she was doing!"

"And so do I! Listen, as much as I do love you, it's just not possible. I'm sorry, but you know our fates were the same. It was a mistake, Hideki. We can't be together."

Kako's eyes widened in realization. Angrily, she opened the door and glared at both Rai and Hideki. "But Mom managed to live this long and have both Hideki and me!" she cried angrily.

Rai merely smiled. "Kako that was when there was actually peace. After that…well, you know what happened. But I have a duty, Kako. And I must fulfill it."

Hideki looked at his desk, obviously irritated that he wasn't winning, while Kako stared at Rai with pleading eyes brimming with tears. "Couldn't you at least try?" whispered the girl.

But Rai shook her head and walked up to Kako and kneeled down. "Kako, there are some things you may not understand yet. But when a burden falls on someone, depending on who they are, they live their lives accordingly. I've tried to stay alone, but found it impossible. People like you and your brother are just too interesting," she said gently with a smile.

"Then why-"

"Because, I don't want to start something I can't finish in time." Ms. Kawai stood up and walked past Kako, gently ruffling the young girl's hair as she passed.

Kako stood there, looking at her brother with tear filled eyes. "Hideki…"

Turning to his sister, Hideki shrugged and looked at the ceiling with a sad smile. "I guess angels choose their commitments wisely, don't they?"

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A/N-

For those of you who realized a certain set up, bravo! For those of you who didn't, just wait! My back hurts, my arm hurts, and I'm mad at a certain boy who I guess I could consider a friend, but yeah, that's my boring life. I'll try to update ASAP, but I might not be able to, because my Dad's coming back from a trip today. Yeah, stinks, doesn't it?

Review or Flame. We're deepening the plot here.


	20. One Debate After Another

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon, thank you very much. It's better that way.

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One Debate After Another

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_I should…talk to Kouji,_ Kako thought as she placed down the controller. So far, her hour that should have been dedicated to chocobo racing had been filled with thoughts of her conversation with Rai and Hideki.

Almost immediately after Rai had left, Hideki had gone out to, saying he would be back in time for dinner when Kako had questioned where he was going.

Finally, deciding she was thinking too hard, she decided to go for a walk. _And who knows_, a voice in her head remarked sarcastically, _you might just pass by Kouichi's house and happen to meet Kouji._

_Shut up._

_I REFUSE, YOU IDIOT!_

Hey, I'm doing this for a reason! This is the only way-

_Oh shut it. Even _you_ know you're wrong!_

Kako let out an angry growl and slammed the door shut, locking it quickly before making her way out. It was warmer than she had imagined it would be, despite the gray skies and light rain. Pulling her jacket tighter around her, Kako crossed the street and stopped to look at the sky.

A small ray of light peeked through in a few places, creating a glare that hurt her eyes. Shutting her eyes, Kako let out a sigh. _One debate over. I lose. I guess I'll go see Kouji after all,_ she thought glumly, heading straight to Kouichi's house.

-------------------------------------

_SHE DIES?_ Kouichi nearly slammed down the controller angrily. "That's not fair!" he growled, his eyes burning with rage as the boss battle came. In a matter of minutes, he quickly defeated the boss and watched the scene take place, feeling something empty inside of him, something that needed to be filled.

"Kouichi, you said _I_ was bad when playing videogames, but you're just _ridiculous!_" Kouji snapped as he slung on his bag and made his way to the door. "Not even _I'm_ that loud when playing videogames. And I _especially_ _don't talk_."

Kouichi ignored his brother as he slammed the door and raced to kendo practice. _He's going to be a minute late today,_ the older twin thought, glancing at the clock. "Whatever. I still can't believe they made her die. I mean, why not make someone useless die? Like Cait Sith!" He fell silent and sighed as the game prompted him to save. After doing so, he turned off the PS2 and sat on the couch, closing his eyes.

_Kouichi…come to us…_

His eyes opened wide. The room was quiet, and slowly darkening in his eyes. Glancing around nervously, the boy withdrew slowly. "Wh-who's there?"

_Come…to us…_

Wincing, Kouichi drew his feet up on the couch, now hugging his knees. _Please…not this again,_ he begged silently, squeezing his eyes shut much as a child would do.

The voices only seemed to grow louder and more menacing, eventually threatening to drag him into the shadows by force. In his mind, Kouichi screamed back at the shadows, claiming he wasn't part of them, claiming he didn't have anything to do with them. He tried not to scream out loud, but as they nearly drew him in, the doorbell rang, reversing everything back to its normal, quiet state.

Kouichi jumped to his feet as the doorbell rang again, nearly yelping. Rubbing his head, he opened the door and found Kako there, blinking at him. "Oh…umm…hi, Kako," he murmured, sounding a bit tired to himself. "What are you doing here?" _Might as well make a conversation._

Kako blushed, realizing Kouichi was talking to her. "Oh! Uhm…Kouji…is he here?" she asked quickly, looking around nervously.

He shook his head. "No, he left for kendo practice about ten minutes ago. He was a minute late to practice."

"Oh, how can you tell?"

Shrugging, Kouichi replied, "I dunno. I guess I just can."

Kako laughed, "But what if he ran there?"

"He did."

Taken aback, Kako nearly stepped off the steps, barely catching herself without Kouichi's help. Blushing as he caught her hand and helped her back up, she shook her head. "So…I'll come back later, I guess…"

"W-wait!" Kouichi blurted just as she turned around to leave.

Kako turned back around to face him, a questioning look on her face. "Yeah?"

Turning red, Kouichi stuttered for a while before asking, "W-would you like to stay and wait? We might as well work on the debate and all…and umm, yeah…"

Breaking into a smile, Kako nodded. "Sure, why not?" _…I can't believe it…he's so stupid. He should be screaming his head off at me, not being nice!_ Nevertheless, Kako walked in.

----------------------------------------------

"I DON'T GET IT! HOW WILL THAT HELP US WIN?" Kako screeched, standing up and slamming her hands on the table.

Kouichi rolled his eyes. "Can you _not_ break my table?" Still glaring at him, Kako sat down. "Thank you, now, the reason pointing out examples of why he didn't uphold liberty, equality and fraternity will help us win because Napoleon only-"

Kako interrupted him, "I don't _care._ No one's going to understand your argument! He _did_ uphold the ideals! And-"

"And he did it by accident! They were results of him getting what he wanted! Don't you watch A&E? He even _knew_ he had an ego!"

"But _you_ apparently _don't_ know of yours!"

"I know I have an ego, but so do you."

"Yeah? Well Kouji's got a bigger ego!"

Kouichi rolled his eyes. _I always wondered how she won her arguments,_ he thought as he heard the front door slam shut. _It's because they're so stupid, you can't argue against them._

"AND IF YOU'RE THINKING MY ARGUMENTS ARE STUPID-"

"Which they are," he cut in calmly.

"THEN YOU'RE JUST PLAIN WRONG!"

Standing up, he pushed his room door open and stared at his younger brother. "Kouji. Help. Insane. Kako."

Kouji twitched before storming into Kouichi's room and glaring at Kako. "Out."

"Huh?" Kako stared at him clueless of what was going on.

"_OUT_. I need to talk to Kouichi."

"HUH. FINE!" Kako snapped, storming out and plopping down on the couch.

Kouichi shook his head, exasperated. _What children_, he thought, heading over to his room as Kouji beckoned him. "What is it, Kouji?" he asked, shutting the door and leaning against it.

"Why is she here?" Kouji demanded.

"She was looking for you, and then we decided to wait for you so I could work on the debate with her."

"You're as bad as Napoleon."

"Why, thank you. I don't know what to say," replied the older twin sarcastically. "And I'm assuming you're Robespierre, starting something you can't finish?"

Kouji twitched. "What?"

"Never mind. Why are you so annoyed, anyway?"

"NO REASON!"

Kouichi nearly banged his head against the door in surprise. _Did he…just…yell at me? ANGRILY? Well, that's a new side of Kouji. I thought_ I_ was bad_.

"You lied to me," Kouji muttered quietly.

The older twin frowned. "What?"

Kouji glared at his brother and snapped, "You said that you would tell me when something was wrong! You lied to me!"

Kouichi stared in amazement as Kouji stormed out of his room and out of the house. Biting his lower lip, he walked into the living room where Kako sat, the FF7 strategy guide in her hands. "Do you know what's wrong with him?" he asked Kako, staring at the open door.

Kako shrugged as she informed him, "He _did_ say something about you talking in your sleep or not getting enough sleep. I dunno. But…Kouichi…have you been sleeping lately? Now that I think about it, you _do_ look really tired."

His eyes widened for a mere second before he turned around and shook his head. "I'm fine. So…did he say where he went?"

"Only that he'd be back in time for dinner."

"Great," Kouichi muttered, banging his head against the wall and letting it stay there for a minute before he pushed off and turned to Kako. "I'm…going to go look for him. I guess. Maybe he just had a bad day."

"No."

"What?"

Kako shook her head. "You stay here. Finish FF7 for me, okay?" she asked with a smile. "I'll go get him."

Kouichi frowned. "But…"

"You're only up to the second disc so far. That's nothing! Go finish it. You'll like it, I know you will," she told him before dashing out the door.

Feeling alone, Kouichi shivered and looked at the T.V. The only thing that would keep him safe now would be his one single videogame. Everything else didn't matter anymore.

Nothing.

Nothing but…

Maybe, just maybe, he could find something more.

-------------------------------------------

"Idiot…how could he…that stupid…damn him!" Kouji swore, heading straight to the arcade. As a single tear slid out of his eyes, which burned with rage, he opened the door, his voice cracking as he murmured miserably to himself, "Why didn't he just tell me…?"

It had been a few minutes after his kendo practice that Kouji's phone rang. Of course, he had been certain it would be Kako, Kouichi or Takuya. Instead, it was someone completely different. But he knew the voice.

'_Things aren't going as you planned, Kouji. Darkness may consume those you love again,'_ was all they said. It sounded remarkably like Ophanimon, but now, Kouji wasn't sure what to think.

But it had to be. Only Ophanimon talked like that, right? And obviously, they were talking about Kouichi.

_It all makes sense…his not sleeping at night…his getting sick…everything. And it's all my fault,_ Kouji thought, leaning against the glass wall of the arcade.

"Hey, kid, get off the glass!" an employee yelled, startling Kouji.

Kouji almost fell down in surprise, but caught himself in time. With a sigh, he headed outside, deciding games wouldn't do him any good at the moment. "Why am I doing this? I thought it would do him some good…" Whimpering, he sank down against the wall of a nearby building.

"Apparently it isn't, is it? What would do who good?" an innocent voice asked.

Turning red, Kouji looked up and found Kako looking down at him, head tilted to the side in askance. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" he yelled, jumping to his feet. "I mean…what…are…I give up. You're just another confusing girl. I can't do anything about it, can I?"

"Glad you agree to that fact. So, mind telling me why you blew up at Kouichi and giving me some good reasons why I shouldn't tell Takuya that you broke the bet?" Kako asked, leaning against the wall beside him.

"You're in an awfully good mood," he replied testily, "and Takuya never stated I couldn't get mad. He said I couldn't get worried."

She turned and smiled to him. "But you _are_ worried."

"_So_?" Kouji glared at her, pouting so childishly that Kako couldn't help but laugh. Even more annoyed than before, Kouji snapped, "It's not funny!"

A while after her laughter subsided, Kako closed her eyes. "Kouichi knows what he's doing. I…I suppose…that's why we worry about him. It's because he seems sure about what he's doing, but…" Drawing in a breath and letting out a shaky breath, Kako continued, "But he does, and we just have to believe in him. After all, what is he without you? You know…?"

Their eyes locked for a brief moment before Kouji turned around and slammed his fist into the wall right next to Kako, scaring her out of her wits. "I'm sorry," Kouji muttered, "but I just can't believe he knows what he's doing. He doesn't, Kako. I just can't."

Trying to get over the scare that had been delivered, Kako took several breaths. "Kouji, that's the only reason he's like this right now…it's my fault, too, but if you doubt him, he'll go into an even worse state! Do you want a brother or not?" she snapped.

_Do I want a brother or not…I wonder_, Kouji thought. Biting his lip, he looked at Kako and held out his hand. "Come with me. I need to show you something…"

Kako kept her eyes glued onto him as he yanked her hand. _They're more alike than I thought. If it weren't for the bet…would I have fallen for Kouji, or Kouichi? Or…would I have not met any of them?_ As the questions ran through her head, Kako closed her eyes and let Kouji guide her. The days until his birthday would be a torturous wait, but well worth it.

-------------------------------------

_What is happening? Why is…what is going on? I don't understand…Cloud, but…and Aeris-so then, she's really gone,_ Kouichi thought, frowning as he continued playing. "Squaresoft really managed to put in a confusing plot. Stupid Sephiroth. What kind of idiot kills people for no reason? Or did he have a reason…?" Sighing, the boy looked at a picture that lay in a frame above the T.V. "My hat…I can only hope it isn't burned," he muttered, lowering his eyes on the T.V. screen.

Letting out a frustrated cry, Kouichi nearly threw the controller against the wall. "Why can't I concentrate?"

A single voice in his head answered, _Your mind is preoccupied._

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Kouichi shouted, dropped the controller to the floor and resting his head on his knees as he drew them up onto the couch. "Why…are you back…Duskmon?"

_You're falling into darkness again. You know this._

"Go away…"

The voice chuckled, _How weak. Haven't you learned from me in the past? Even if I am the spirit of corrupt darkness, surely you have learned something._

Kouichi gritted his teeth. "Only that I was a fool for believing Cherubimon."

_You seem to keep changing your mind on this matter. Were you Cherubimon's pawn or not, Kouichi? Is that what's bothering you? Or is it something else?_ Duskmon seemed to be asking Kouichi all the questions he was asking himself.

"I…" Kouichi stared at the T.V., where a mini pixel version of Cloud stood, waiting to be moved. _Is this what Cloud reminded me of? Myself? Or is it someone else?_ "I don't know," he murmured. "I don't know anything anymore. I'm not sure of anything. I used to be so sure…but now…"

_But now…?_ Duskmon prompted.

"But now, I'm losing a debate to one of the things I hate most…" Kouichi muttered, a look of disgust on his face. "It's pathetic."

There was a laugh. _Is it really? But Kouichi, I thought you believed in learning from mistakes…_

"Learning fr-" Eyes widening, Kouichi looked around, as if trying to discover where the voice was coming from. Standing up, he looked at the door and murmured, "My mistakes…I can't tell them from my accomplishments. Have I become…so…twisted? Maybe I am like Napoleon…maybe Kouji was right. What do you think, Duskmon?"

There was a dead silence, only the eerie music from the videogame sounding. Looking around again, confused, Kouichi sat down on the couch and picked up the controller. "So, Cloud…what's _your_ problem?"

-------------------------------------------

"Your backyard? You dragged me _all_ the way to your backyard? Wh-hey! Kouji, let go already!" Kako yelled as Kouji continued dragging her. "I can't really go through the fence, you know!"

"Shut up. It's a hologram," Kouji snapped, irritated with Kako's comments. _How can anyone stand her…?_

"WHAT!" Kako waved her hand through the fence hologram several times before looking at Kouji. "Did you make the program up for it?"

"What do you _think_?"

With a wide grin, she answered, "I THINK THAT'S SO FREAKING COOL! Where does it lead to, anyway?"

Dropping her hand and walking through the hologram, Kouji murmured, "A grave."

Almost immediately, Kako stiffened and fell silent. "Wh-…whose grave?"

"Tsubasa's."

"Who?"

"My dog."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You had a dog? You don't seem the type…"

Kouji sighed. "He died about a year after the Digiworld incident."

"Oh…I'm…sorry…" Kako murmured awkwardly, lowering her voice considerably.

"I kind of regret never letting him meet Kouichi. Dad always thought I couldn't take care of him myself, so whenever I tried sneaking Tsubasa out to meet Kouichi, he'd come, too. And since either Dad or Mom were always home, Kouichi could never come here to meet him…" Kouji cut himself off with a sigh. "Back then, Kouichi wasn't so overly mature, either. I didn't tick him off as easily. I just…don't know what the hell happened."

"He always described you as someone with a lot of potential, you know?" Kako suddenly murmured. "And he always seemed…sad whenever it got to the topic of your or your dad. I think…he wanted the one with a better life. He hated seeing his mom like she was. I think, though, what he really wanted was a complete family. No regrets, nothing. Just a normal everyday family, with a younger twin brother who he could annoy…"

A bitter laugh escaped Kouji's lips, "I guess we lost track of what we really wanted a while after we got it, huh?"

"No," Kako murmured, shaking her head. "You just want more. But we can't all have what we want, can we?"

"Which reminds me, how old are you, now?" Kouji asked suddenly, glaring at Kako suspiciously.

The girl turned to him, obviously surprised. "Fourteen, why?"

"Y-you…you just turned fourteen?" he asked incredulously. "SO YOU SKIPPED A GRADE?"

Laughing nervously, Kako edged her way out of the house. _Oh screw, how did this happen?_ "Well, yes…? No? I don't know? I really don't, Kouji. Maybe my mom enrolled me early…or maybe I was so stupid, I was smart! Yeah, somethi-why are you looking at me like that?" she squealed, wailing and pointing at Kouji's face.

Kouji twitched before turning around and banging his head against the wall of his house. "Ow…ow…ow…damn, you're too smart."

Kako kicked his shoulder lightly, retorting, "I'm stupid! Shut up! I just got lucky or something! I can't understand a word of math…"

"And you kick hard," Kouji whined.

"You're just weak!"

Rolling his eyes, Kouji muttered, "I was _kidding_. Sheesh, don't give yourself too much credit."

"Aren't _you_ cheerful."

Kouji fell silent, looking at his shoes thoughtfully. _I guess…it works, doesn't it?_ "Well, it goes with the plan. Makes me look jealous, doesn't it?" he asked Kako with a slight chuckle.

Her eyes widened momentarily before she looked away and nodded. "I…guess it does…"

"What is it?"

"I feel kind of bad. Which reminds me, I need to open the presents he gave me…" Kako turned around so her back faced Kouji, quickly wiping her eyes. _I hate feeling guilty…and then Kouichi can make me feel so guilty so easily._ Swallowing, she turned to Kouji. "We better go back. I need to work on the debate with Kouichi anyway. Without arguing with him…" she added to herself.

"Right. Um, Kako, if it's not too much, can I ask you something?" Kouji asked sheepishly, scratching the back of his head and letting out an uneasy chuckle.

She rose an eyebrow and nodded, "Yeah…?"

"W…well, can you…um, stage a kiss before we go in?"

_Why the hell is he asking me now when he kissed me in front of Hideki before?_ Rolling her eyes, Kako shrugged. "Okay. I see no point in you asking, as you kiss me whenever you want, anyway. Even-"

"Okay, thank you!" Kouji said quickly, racing ahead of her.

Kako's jaw fell open. _Did he just leave me hanging in mid-sentence? THAT LOSER!_ "KOUJI GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" she screamed, racing after him.

----------------------------------------

"So then…Hojo…was _his_ father? I don't get this," Kouichi muttered, saving quickly as soon as he was prompted to save. "I made it to disc three. At least she'll be a _bit_ happy…right?"

"Kouji! Let go of me!" he heard Kako scream.

Turning his head to the direction of the door, Kouichi frowned. _My brother's a pervert, isn't he? Joy to the world, I thought I was a dictator. Instead, my brother's a pervert._ "Maybe there's a corrupt gene in the family line…" he muttered thoughtfully, turning off the PS2 and knocking on the door. "Are you two done making a little scene?"

In response, Kouichi heard a thud. Shifting uncomfortably, he opened the door to see a cowering Kouji who was shrinking under the murderous gaze of Kako. Clearing his throat, Kouichi asked, "Are you two going to come in, or are you going to murder Kouji first, Kako?"

"I'M GOING TO MURDER HIM FIRST!" Kako screamed, chasing after Kouji as he bolted inside, heading straight to his room. He somehow managed to lock the door before Kako made it over, and was now yelling for mercy.

"Kouji, just shut up and do your homework. Kako, do you need to go home or do you want to still work on the debate?" Kouichi called out to the two.

Kako turned to him and blushed a little. "Er…sorry about that. I can work on the debate for a while. Thirty minutes maybe."

Kouichi rose an eyebrow, amused. "Are you sure? It's well past eight."

"WHAT?"

Sighing, Kouichi put on his jacket. "Come on. I'll get Kouji to walk you home or something."

"N-no, it's okay, really!" Kako blurted, looking at the clock, worried.

"Then _I'll_ walk you home."

"Kouichi, it's really okay! I s-"

"I don't care. Come on," Kouichi said, paying no heed to Kako no matter how she tried to explain matters to him.

As the two walked towards Kako's house, a deep silence befell them.

"Kouji told me you were sick," Kako whispered, shyly looking over at Kouichi.

Kouichi shrugged. "I guess I still am. It's just not obvious."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know…"

Looking up at the sky, Kako stopped and closed her eyes. "I don't want to go home."

Also stopping, Kouichi glanced at Kako who stood a few feet behind. A blank look adorned his face as he questioned, "Why?"

Kako brushed her hair out of her face and recited, "Let's take the raft and go, just the two of us." Smiling, Kako walked up to him.

Kouichi merely stared, confused. "What?"

"Thank you, Kouichi," she whispered, kissing his cheek before turning around and dashing home.

Blinking, even more baffled, Kouichi watched Kako fade off into the distance. _Where is this going…? I can't tell where one line starts and where it ends, anymore._ Drawing a deep breath and closing his eyes as he slowly let it out, Kouichi headed back home.

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A/N-

Did this take forever to post? Well…() I don't really know how many people read the last chapter…but I take it that it wasn't that great, as I got only one review.

As you can tell, there are a _lot_ of conflicts. Ain't Kouichi lucky? XP Have I confused you all thoroughly yet? Or must I continue some more before getting to the point?

For some reason, some the italics refuse to work. I don't know why. So, if they don't, next time, I'll add the single quotes around them. I'm sorry I screwed up by the way, on an edit. XP I didn't realize I didn't put in that one quote, so I bsed it for now, and sunday, I'll fix it!

Review or Flame, thanks.


	21. Approaching

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

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Approaching…

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"I'm so sorry I'm late!" Kako gasped, breathless as she ran through the door. "I got caught up in a school proje-Hideki? Where's Dad?" She looked up expectantly at her older brother who stood in front of her.

Hideki turned to his younger sister with a tired look on his face. "He had another unexpected meeting somewhere in China."

"AH! I'm sorry!" the girl apologized, reddening as she slipped out of her shoes and ran into the kitchen, calling back to her brother, "I'll make dinner ASAP!"

"Kako, it's fine. Rai made some when she came over, so I'm fine…"

"Rai?" Kako repeated, running out of the kitchen. "Where is she?"

"She left, but there's a note for you in your room. And-Kako! Pay attention!" Hideki groaned, slumping over and sinking down on the couch. He watched Kako race into her room and muttered, "God, she has too much energy."

Kako bolted into her room, thanking unseen forces that the door was open. Her hands reached for the letter, which lay on her bed, fumbling with the paper before opening it, falling on her bed, and reading it.

"'Dear Kako, you know as well as I do'…'keep Hideki safe'…hehe…'and most importantly, follow your instincts and heart.' The usual. I was hoping she'd tell me the opposite," Kako grumbled, pushing herself up into a sitting position. "She always ends with the same sentence. I wonder why…? Mom told me that, too…"

Sighing again, Kako got off her bed and headed to the living room, pausing as she wondered whether she should ask Hideki why Rai had come over. Mind made up, she opened her mouth, but quickly closed it and smiled when she realized her brother had fallen asleep. "Good night, Hideki," she whispered, walking back into her room quietly. _And may you have those dreams that you had before…_

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When Kouichi woke up, it was 2 AM in the morning. When he went back to sleep and woke up again, it was 4:53 AM in the morning. And when he tried to go back to sleep, he found he couldn't.

What was worse was the fact that he had gotten even _more_ sick instead of getting better. So from the time he woke up to the time Kouji and his mother woke up, he was coughing and sneezing every other second while playing videogames, only a cup of tea beside him.

_Why is it getting worse?_ Kouichi wondered as he began to race his chocobo. _And why is this stupid wonderful chocobo so slow? God, my green chocobo has better stats than it does! And my black chocobo deserves better…_

Coughing, Kouichi placed the controller down and glanced at the time. _Only…5:23. Joy. No one's up yet. Mom'll get up in a few minutes…Kouji'll be up in an hour…and-why is the doorbell ringing?_ Frowning, Kouichi got up and opened the door, finding a completely unexpected visitor at his door. "What…? Go away, Ai," he tried to growl, but found it hard as a cough interrupted him.

Ai rolled her eyes. "That's so pathetic. I've come here to make a proposition, anyway."

"What?" _I don't really care…_

She smiled and asked sweetly, "Would you like to help organize the theme for our Valentine's Day dance?" Ai handed him a packet with a small smirk.

Trying to suppress laughter and many coughs to come, Kouichi sneered, "You're kidding, right?"

"NO."

"Go ask Kouji. I haven't gone to a single dance this year, he's gone to all of them. And I don't plan to, either," snapped the boy coldly, shutting the door in Ai's face. _That was the stupidest reason someone's ever come over. Even Kouji can scrap up something better than that,_ he thought, returning to his tea and game. "Now…one more race until S class…"

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"SWEET! YOU MEAN YOU REJECTED A CHANCE TO ORGANIZE A DANCE AND I CAN TAKE YOUR PLACE?" Kouji asked, clearly excited.

Kouichi held his breath and took a quick sip of tea before answering, "Yeah. Do you wanna lower your voice? It makes me want to cough…"

"Oh, sorry. That's perfect, because I have the greatest idea for a dance!"

"Oh really?" Kouichi muttered, sipping his tea again. _Can't…cough…don't cough…_

Kouji just grinned. "And you have to come!"

"NO!" Kouichi shouted, jumping to his feet. "THERE IS NO WAY IN-" Before he could finish, Kouichi broke out into a series of coughs, slowly sinking back into his seat. "No…way…that I'm…going," he finished, gasping for breath as he tried to hold back the coughs that threatened to come up. Finally regaining control of his breath, Kouichi asked weakly, "What time is it?"

"Time for you to get a watch!" Kouji recited. "Just kidding. It's around 6:72, why?"

Kouichi rose an eyebrow. "6:72? Can you tell time?"

"Yep! In other words, it's 7:12!"

"We need to run…"

"I was kidding," groaned Kouji in an exasperated voice. "It's only 6:51."

The older twin stared at his brother for a solid minute, before getting up and putting on his backpack. "I'm heading out. I don't trust you anymore," he announced, heading for the door.

Grumbling, Kouji grabbed his own bag and followed his brother out only to nearly bump into him halfway through the doorway. "What the hell? Kouichi, what are you doing?" Kouji yelped, skidding to a halt before he toppled over the older boy.

Kouichi pushed his way in past Kouji. "I forgot the debate paper…on my desk…" he murmured, attempting to make his way to his room.

Kouji watched his brother nearly collapse, holding onto the couch for support while coughing. _He's gonna cough his trachea out one of these days…whatever a trachea is._ "Here, I'll get it," said the younger twin, heading into his brother's room and opening the door.

"N-no! It's okay, Kouji, really I can-" Kouichi tried to stop his brother, wincing as the door opened.

A frown appeared on Kouji's face as he entered the room, coming back out with the papers. As he closed the door, he just shrugged and handed the papers to his brother. "I hope you know," he said slowly, "that your room is _way_ messier than mine…"

Through gritted teeth, Kouichi let out a hollow laugh. "Precisely why I didn't want you to go in there…precisely…why…"

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For some odd reason, everyone had decided to meet up at Kouichi's house just as they were about to leave for school so they could all walk together. Even Kako came, chatting lively with Izumi about matters no one could comprehend.

Kouichi, however, lagged behind the rest of his friends, coughing every once in a while, breathing heavily as he struggled not to collapse.

Kako frowned as she saw him struggling. Walking up to him, she tilted her head to the side as she asked, "Kouichi, are you okay?"

"I'm…fine…" he replied stiffly, but Kako could hear the irregular patterns in his breathing.

"Are you sure you're okay? We have plenty of time, you know, you c-"

"I'm _fine_," he snapped a bit rudely this time, trying to step around her to continue walking.

Kako's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing on Kouichi angrily. Bringing up her hand, she slapped him before storming off ahead.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kouji saw his brother stop and shut his eyes. Biting his lip, Kouji forced a smile, tears nearly spilling out of his eyes. "Damn it's cold! I'll race you all to school!" he shouted.

Takuya narrowed his eyes as Kouji wiped his eyes, but said nothing to address the matter. Instead, he shrugged and responded, "Sure, why not? It'll warm us up…if Izumi's up to it." He grinned and looked at Izumi who turned red.

"But I'm not wearing my running shoes! This is cheap! But whatever, you're on," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

Kako shrugged. "Whatever."

Junpei stared at Kouji before asking, "What are you up to, Kouji?"

"I'm not plotting anything! You up for it, Kouichi?" Kouji asked, grinning at his brother.

"I…uh…don't think I should…" Kouichi muttered, a hand against a nearby building for support. "You can go on ahead…"

"If you're…sure…" Kouji murmured in return. "On your mark get set go!" Kouji yelled quickly, racing off.

Izumi watched as everyone raced ahead and rolled her eyes. "Tch. What children. Are you sure you're okay, Kouichi? Kako doesn't slap people for no reason…unless she doesn't know them. But that's another matter."

Letting out a shaky breath, Kouichi shook his head. "It's okay…it doesn't matter…"

"Don't lie to yourself, Kouichi. You know as well as I do that you have inner demons ready to eat you up. It's not like I haven't noticed," Izumi whispered softly.

Whimpering, he shook his head again, this time murmuring, "Izumi, please don't tell them…"

"I won't," she promised. "You have to do that yourself."

"I don't want to!" he suddenly shouted clutching his head. "I want them gone!"

Biting her lip, Izumi walked up to Kouichi. "Come on, you big baby. We have to get to school."

Kouichi nodded, trying to gain control of himself. "I just…don't know what to do anymore, Izumi," he murmured as they started walking.

Izumi let out a small laugh, "You'll know soon enough. For now, though, Kouichi, concentrate on feeling better."

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"And I win!" Kouji shouted, rubbing his eyes again. "My nose and eyes are still cold…"

"We can tell," Junpei muttered, "you look completely blue, especially with that outfit."

"Hey! Blue's my color!"

Kako rolled her eyes and looked around, suddenly twitching. "Izumi ditched…"

Shrugging, Takuya replied, "She _did_ say she didn't have her running shoes on…" _And she probably wanted to talk to Kouichi. I hope he's okay_… Flashing a look at the laughing Kouji, Takuya sighed. Hopefully Izumi would make things more clear for Kouichi and everything would get better. One could only hope.

"Tomorrow's the debate!" Kouji cheered. "This is just great…I hope Takuya and Kouichi go against each other! That'll be just awesome…oh, and I hafta judge that match…"

"Hah! That's funny," Izumi laughed as she walked up to them. "Takuya couldn't debate Kouichi unless the world ended tomorrow."

Takuya reddened. "And why is that?" he growled.

Giggling, Izumi replied, "Cuz you're Takuya Kanbara, and you lose debates to your brother."

"THEY DIDN'T NEED TO KNOW THAT!" he screamed, turning an even deeper shade of crimson.

Kouichi shrugged. "That tends to happen a lot. Little kids have un-debate-able arguments."

"There's such a word?" Izumi asked with a grin.

"Nope."

"…you're talking about Kouji, aren't you?" Takuya asked with a laugh. "Hah, your brother just reduced you to a kid, Kouji."

"Oh shut up!" Kouji snapped. "At least I don't lose debates to him!"

Izumi coughed, "Actually…"

Everyone but the twins and Kako burst into small coughing fits.

Kouji turned crimson. "So what? He's the older twin!" he exclaimed childishly, pointing at Kouichi with an accusing finger.

Kouichi shrugged and headed to his locker. "Okay," was all he said in reply.

"What's _his_ problem?" Kako muttered, glaring at Kouichi's retreating figure.

"You have _no_ idea," Izumi whispered, "_no_ idea…"

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"So…who can tell me what a pathogen is? Mr. Kimura, since you've decided to _sleep_, why don't you go ahead and tell us?" Ms. Kawai asked, an amused look on her face as she stopped in front of Kouichi's desk.

Kouichi sat up, eyes wide as he looked up at Ms. Kawai. "I…uh…" he stuttered, turning red. "A pathogen? A pathogen is an agent that causes a disease such as a virus or bacteria. In other words, it can be almost anything that harms the normal function of your body."

"Very good, but I suggest you stay awake in class or would you like to go to the-"

"I'm fine," Kouichi interrupted softly, looking at his desk. "It won't happen again."

Ms. Kawai frowned at Kouichi. "If you're sure…" she said, not believing him as she headed to the front of the classroom. "Anyway, that's the lesson for the day. Break up into your Napoleon debate teams and Kouichi, do you mind coming over here for a second?"

With a sigh, Kouichi rose out of his seat and walked over to Ms. Kawai, wincing at the thought of the consequences he might have to face. "Y-yes…?"

His teacher sat down in the chair and frowned. "Kouichi, you know you shouldn't be in school right now," she told him straight off. "I don't think it's a good idea, either. Even if-…well…" Sighing, Ms. Kawai closed her eyes. "You can't keep running."

"I'm not…" Kouichi whispered, wincing as if he had been stabbed. _Am I so easy to read…?_

"You are," she whispered back gently, "and you're hurting yourself in the process. Fight those voices, _master the darkness._ Don't let it master you."

At this, Kouichi's eyes widened. Puzzled, he stuttered, "How…what…how do you know?"

But Ms. Kawai merely smiled as she responded, "Some things are better left untold, Master of Darkness. Now, unless you want me to call you that in class, I suggest you figure out a way to get rid of those voices that are about to drive you insane. Fight back, Kouichi. That's it."

Kouichi staggered back to his seat and got out his Napoleon papers. "That's it. I'm way too easy to read, isn't it…?" he muttered to himself.

"Would you hurry up? You spent all of fifteen minutes talking to Rai, and we only have _half_ our debate done," Kako snapped with a scowl.

Snapping out of his daze, Kouichi nodded and handed her the papers. "This is what I have so far…"

Kako's jaw nearly dropped. "Is that how you got sick? Did you stay up all night doing these or something? I mean, honestly, _twelve pages…_"

Rolling his eyes, Kouichi replied, "When you get sick, you find you can't sleep often. When you can't sleep often, you find that you get bored. When you get bored, you find you get desperate to do something. Thus I have spent my time working on the debate, and various other things, which you don't need to know. Read through and highlight anything you would find useful in our debate."

Embarrassed by the stares she was receiving, Kako clenched her hand and returned to her desk behind Kouichi, getting out her highlighter to find any useful parts.

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"AND I HAD TO HIGHLIGHT EVERY SINGLE DAMN WORD!" Kako screamed, storming out of the class.

Naoko winced at the volume. "Hey, Kako, I thought you liked Kouichi…"

"W-What? When was this?" Kako suddenly asked, looking around nervously.

"Uh…the beginning of the year?" Naoko replied as if it were obvious. "I mean, you two were really close and now…"

"Kako! I need to talk to you for a second!" Kouji yelled, running forward and dragging Kako back. He shot Naoko a quick glance before murmuring, "I talked to Ai, and I get to organize the Valentine's day dance."

Kako made a face and muttered, "Ewww…I hate dances."

Kouji merely smirked. "You're attending, though. There's going to be three parts. First part, masquerade! It'll be awesome! Second part, concert with Kouichi singing. Third part, Valentine's dance," he told her in a low voice. "Oh, and sorry, but just so people don't screw up my plan…"

Without warning, Kouji kissed Kako quickly before dashing off to find Takuya. Kako stood there, rooted to the spot and blushing as she received several stares. _Damn…him,_ she thought, her eyes flickering as she stomped towards Kouji. _He's going to get what he deserves _right _now._

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All throughout lunch, Kouji complained his back was hurting. As Kako wanted to punish the bandana boy severely without making it look like punishment, she had him carry all of her books out of her locker and into the classroom, then back to her locker, etc. And so, Kouji's back ended up hurting.

"I swear! She's a monster," Kouji grumbled to Takuya as they finally sat down for lunch. Winking, he added with a grin, "Sometimes I wonder why we're together."

"Sometimes I wonder why I know you," Takuya muttered, edging away from the bandana boy. "I thought _I_ was bad…sheesh!"

"Oh shut up!"

"No way!"

"Wanna make something of it?"

"You make _no_ sense! That's it! Whoever beats their high score after school in the arcade today, wins!"

"You're on!"

"You're both pathetic!" Izumi snapped. "I can't believe you're doing this, Kouji!"

Kouji made a face. Whining, he asked, "What? This is the only way I can get my 'revenge.'" As he said the last words, he made quotation marks with his hands.

Izumi glared at him. "You mean when he's _sick, close to insanity, and trying to get over rejection?_" she asked him icily.

Gulping, Kouji nodded, turning pale as Izumi's glare intensified. "Call her off, Takuya…"

But Takuya frowned. "Izumi's right. Kouichi doesn't really deserve this."

"I'd say it's not much of a revenge," Junpei added.

Kouji rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just because your minds are so simple you can't understand a simple plan…" He trailed off as Kouichi walked over. "You'll see, I'll show you both!" snapped the bandana head as he got up. _Now to find Ai and tell her the plans for the dance…_

Kouichi stopped at the table his friends sat at and looked around. "Kako's not here?" he asked, disappointment clear in his eyes.

"Nope," Junpei replied. "Kouji should know where she is…he just left. Said something about how he needed to go over the organization of the dance during lunch with Ai. But that was earlier, I'm not sure about now."

"Oh…" Frowning, Kouichi studied the ground for a while before looking up at Izumi. "Hey, Izumi, if you see Kako before lunch ends, c-"

Izumi laughed nervously, "Well, she's right behind you…"

"Oh…" Kouichi turned around. "You highlighted every page…" he told Kako bluntly.

Kako twitched. "I _know_."

"So…then, since we aren't working on the debate after lunch, do you mind highlighting the more important parts now and giving me the papers later?"

"YES, I MIND."

Kouichi stepped back in surprise. "Okay…" he murmured quietly, "I'll…figure it out somehow, I guess."

"FINE," she snapped, glaring at him.

Kouichi shrugged and walked off. Kako vibrated with anger as she sat down where Kouji had previously sat. "He's so annoying! I swear, that stupid know-it-all, I mean every single point on those papers could be used, and he's telling me to highlight _the more important parts…_THEY'RE ALL IMPORTANT!"

"Kako, shut up," Izumi suddenly snapped.

Blinking, her cousin asked, "What?"

"I said shut up! You're hurting him, and it's annoying me! You and Kouji both! I can't stand either of you!" the older girl shouted, standing up and storming off.

Takuya pushed his goggles up. "She's right, you know. I think she knows how he feels better than all of us. I don't think she wants him to feel like she did. Being alone isn't the best thing in the world," he murmured quietly.

"Well it's his fault," Kako muttered quietly.

"No, Kako, it's all our faults. We can't be there for him, and he's decided to just take it solo. I guess there's nothing we can do," Junpei corrected.

Takuya shook his head. "Maybe not yet, but soon. Very soon."

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A/N-

.:glares at Kako:. That wasn't fun to write, I hope you know! You made me hurt Kouichi's feelings!

.:Kako:. Hey, they're _your_ ideas, your fault!

Okay, so anyway, the plot is thickening greatly. Happy Halloween to all of you! XP I had colorguard practice until nine, so guess what? .:grins:. I didn't go trick or treating! Fun! Note sarcasm, please.

What was Kouichi on Halloween, you ask? .:grins again:. You'll see.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I will have more soon.

Review or Flame as you wish.


	22. Seeking Comfort

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon, nope. I don't even own this computer.

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Seeking Comfort

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Kouichi sighed as he leaned against the wall, papers in one hand, pencil in another. "Okay, so…I could use that one…but that one isn't all that important," he murmured, circling the paragraphs.

"K-Kouichi?"

Looking up, Kouichi found Izumi in front of him, trembling. Frowning, he asked, "Anything wrong? You look kind of…pale."

Izumi wiped her eyes and sat beside him. "I'm sorry about how Kako's been acting. She's a total loser, and I hate it. And I-"

"Don't apologize. It isn't any of your faults," Kouichi murmured, circling a paragraph every so often. "It's just…a stage, I guess. We're just…moving on?"

"Well it isn't right!" Izumi said fiercely. "It's completely childish and you know it!"

Kouichi let out a hollow laugh as he told her, "I've lost sight of the border between immaturity and maturity. I can't stay in one section for too long before switching to the other and switching back."

There was a bitter tone in his voice that made Izumi want to break down and cry. She very nearly did, and would have, had Kouichi not said what he said next. "But, you know, I've been thinking…if I had the spirits of Darkness, shouldn't I be able to master it? Even Patamon said that Darkness could be good or bad, it just depended on the person. So if I keep fighting those voices…" he murmured, trailing off and looking at Izumi. "You think it would work?"

Brushing the tears out of her eyes, Izumi smiled and nodded. "I think it would work out just fine."

Kouichi broke into a small smile. "Then I guess I better start. Can't stay like this forever, can I?"

"If you do, I'll make sure Takuya and Junpei make your life miserable," Izumi swore.

Frowning, Kouichi asked, "What about Kouji?"

Something sparked in Izumi's eyes that made Kouichi suspect something. "What _about_ Kouji?"

"Izumi…"

"It's his fault, too! I can't stand either of them! They're both hurting you, and you just let them! Stop it, Kouichi, you can't just let them do this to you. You're letting them treat you like a rug."

Kouichi shrugged. "So…I'll be a rug."

"Kouichi!"

"What? If it'll make them happy, that's what I'll be!"

"You're stupid! Stupider than they are! If you don't stop them, I swear, Kouichi, I will!" Izumi warned him, rising to her feet and walking off.

Kouichi watched her leave with a smile on his face. "And Takuya is very lucky to have you," he whispered. "Very, _very_ lucky."

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"I can't believe this! I have to play the _piano_? And Ai gets to play the flute! It's ridiculous! What are you playing, Naoko?" Kako asked as they walked into the music room.

Naoko sighed. _She's jealous…why doesn't she just admit it?_ "Clarinet. You know, if you don't stop complaining, people are going to start assuming…"

"Assuming _what_?" Kako asked, completely clueless about what her friend was talking about.

Naoko brought out her clarinet. "That you like him."

"Who?" Kako asked, taking a seat by Naoko.

"Kouichi."

"I don't," snapped Kako. "That's stupid!"

"I wonder…it just doesn't seem right that you two went from really close to…hating each other in less than half a year. If you ask me, it's Kouji's fault. I think you and Kouichi would have looked really cute together," Naoko commented, examining her clarinet. "I swear, I saw a dent…"

Kako winced and walked over to her cousin, who sat in front of the piano, fuming. "Izumi…why do people assume?" the younger girl groaned, sitting beside her cousin.

Izumi stood up and shot Kako a cold glare. "Ask yourself that question again. You have no right to assume anything about Kouichi right now! I'm disgusted about the very fact that you're my cousin!" she snapped.

Something seemed to click in Kako's brain as the words came out of Izumi's mouth. Biting her lip, she stood up and walked out of the room, mumbling an excuse about a headache to Mrs. Nakamura. It was in the quiet hallways that she wondered what she really thought of Kouichi.

"Damn, I'm late," she heard a voice mutter.

Looking up, Kako found Kouichi by his locker, flute case in hand. Her eyes widened as he turned her way, stopping and even taking a step back as he saw her. "Uh…K-Kouichi…" murmured Kako, rooted to the spot. "You're…late…"

He looked to his side awkwardly as he mumbled in return, "Uh…yeah…I guess I got caught up in…never mind. What's up?"

"I got a headache…"

Kouichi looked at her, concerned as he told her, "Really? You should drink some tea, you know, it sh-I mean, um…uh…never mind."

As she opened her mouth, Kako found it impossible to say anything. Instead, she walked up to Kouichi and murmured, "I'm sorry…about before…it's just that all your ideas were great, and umm…it was hard to narrow it down. I didn't want to."

Quietly, Kouichi met her eyes and nodded. "Here, I have the papers. You should study them when you get the chance so you won't be unprepared," he said curtly as he handed her the papers and walked to the music room.

Kako stared at the papers in her hand and sighed. _Headache…nurse's office…Napoleon debate papers. They connect well enough. I'll just study these to take my mind off of things, I guess_, she thought, heading straight to the nurse's office and not noticing that Kouichi had his eyes on her the entire time.

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Before he entered the music room, Kouichi knew several things would happen. One, Ai and Kouji would be talking about the dance theme and ask him to do something. Two, Izumi would be glaring at him. Three, Takuya would be giving him a disappointed look, and lastly, Mrs. Nakamura would tell him not to be late again and he'd have to make up an excuse. But of course he wouldn't make up an excuse and Mrs. Nakamura would know right away that he had been doing something else, so there was no point in lying.

"Kouichi…you're late," Mrs. Nakamura stated, raising an eyebrow. "You were doing something else, weren't you?"

With a sigh, Kouichi nodded. _I guess I _am_ pretty easy to read_, he thought, taking his seat beside Ai. "I didn't miss anything important, did I?" he asked her, not taking his eyes off Mrs. Nakamura as she began to talk.

Ai let out a small laugh. "Depends on what you consider important."

"_In class_," he growled, turning to her, eyes flickering with an unknown fire. "Really, you're pretty pathetic. Are dances all you think about?" Kouichi barely resisted the urge to cough.

Smirking, Ai murmured, "Which reminds me…"

Kouji suddenly stood up as soon as everyone began to take out their instruments to practice and looked at his twin, "Kouichi! I need to talk to you and I have permission to do so, so just hurry up and get over here!"

Rolling his eyes, Kouichi stood up and walked over to his brother. "What?"

"I need you to sing at the beginning of the dance. _Please_? It's our birthday! And I won't even ask for a birthday gift!" pleaded the younger twin desperately.

Twitching, Kouichi asked through gritted teeth, "Why can't _you_ sing?"

"Because you have a better voice?"

"Because you don't try, you mean. I'm not singing on stage, forget it!"

Kouji grabbed his brother's arm just as Kouichi was about to walk away. "Would you really disappoint your dear little brother and…certain others?" he asked with a grin.

Kouichi yanked his arm away and shrugged. "I said I wouldn't sing on stage, idiot. Whoever said anything about you lip syncing while I sang backstage?"

The younger twin grinned up at Kouichi as he told him, "You are the freaking awesomest person I know! Well, that means you'll be attending the entire dance! Thanks, bro!"

Grumbling, Kouichi muttered under his breath, "And you're the stupidest idiot I know. There is no such word as 'awesomest.'"

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"Wow…Napoleon was pretty tricky, then," Kako murmured, flipping to the next page. "Kouichi must've studied him in depth to get all this information. I mean…how many sources did he look through?"

Sighing, Kako placed the papers down beside her and looked up at the blank ceiling. "Why did I just blow up at him like that…? I miss…everything…" Kako moaned, picking up the papers again. She flipped through them again until she came across a page that had nothing to do with the Napoleon debate. "What the…? Kouichi…this-oh…"

Kako let out a small whimper as she quickly scanned the page. Shivering, she whispered to herself, "He never said. Was that why…? Kouji…oh, gods, this is so messed up."

"Now…why are you here?"

Looking up with wide eyes, Kako stuffed the papers behind her back and saw Ms. Kawai in front of her. "Rai! I…uhh…"

Rai smiled and reached for the papers, taking them in her hand and reading them as she murmured, "You don't have to hide them. I know what they say anyway…"

The girl looked down at her hands guiltily. "He hates me…" she said softly, "doesn't he?"

For a second, all was quiet. Then, Rai sat beside Kako and placed her hand on the young girl's own and asked, "Do you feel his pain?"

Squeezing her eyes shut, Kako nodded, trying to ignore the tears that appeared in the corner of her eyes. "I…can't take it anymore…"

"Good…" Removing her hand, Rai wiped Kako's eyes with a handkerchief that she retrieved from her pocket. "You shouldn't cry, Kako. You know what will happen in time. I wouldn't worry too much."

"But Kouichi…and…what about Hideki…?"

"Did he tell you his latest dream?"

Kako shook her head and looked up at Rai expectantly. There was a smile on the older woman's face as she closed her eyes. "Rai…? What was it about?"

Laughing softly, Rai stood up and opened her eyes, brushing back her short hair. "Kako, he'll tell you when he needs to. I suggest you go to class now. There's only an hour left," she told Kako, handing her back the papers.

Nodding, Kako stood up and followed Ms. Kawai out into the hall, all the while staring at the papers in her hand. "So…then…why did Kouichi write this if he doesn't hate me?"

"It wasn't aimed at you, Kako. Read it again," was all her teacher told her before walking off.

As she walked into the music room, the meaning of the words suddenly hit her. Kako nearly dropped the pages as she opened the door. Gasping, she shuffled the papers, handed them to Kouichi and quickly walked over to her cousin, who shot her a cold look.

Kouichi looked at the papers, twisting them around as if to discover why Kako was so pale. He sent Izumi a questioning look, but seeing that he was receiving no answer, instead tried to go talk to Kako. Just as he was a few feet away from her, Kouji moved in and began talking to both cousins, leaving Kouichi doubly confused. _I guess_, the boy thought, staring at the papers, _I'll just…figure it out later…?_

Then again…girls were one of the many mysteries he could never figure out.

Maybe he'd ask Kouji.

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"Yeah! Debate tomorrow, baby!" Takuya shouted as he exited the music room, laughing loudly.

Izumi walked beside him, glaring coldly at the floor in front of her and ignoring Kako, who lagged behind, sighing every few seconds. Behind her were the twins, in yet _another_ argument.

"I said not on the stage!" Kouichi snapped, irked at his twin as usual. By the end of their music period, he felt much better, especially considering he was in an argument with Kouji.

Kouji stuck his tongue out as he said dismissively, "on stage, backstage, _same thing._"

"NO IT ISN'T! I REFUSE TO EVER SING ON STAGE!"

Kako stood up straight and looked up behind her, staring at Kouichi blankly. Kouichi met her blank gaze with a confused one of his own before he turned red and covered his mouth. After what he said had sunk in, Kako snapped out of her daze and ran back to Kouji. "What singing?" she exclaimed. Turning to Kouji, she snapped, "You never said anything about singing!"

"Yeah I did! I said there'd be the three-part plan! First the masquerade, then the Kouichi singing part, then the dance!" countered Kouji, glaring back at her.

"You _liar_!"

"I'm not _lying!_"

"STOP LYING!"

"I'M NOT!"

"YES YOU ARE! BY LYING ABOUT LYING, YOU HAVE THEREFORE LIED! NOW SHUT UP AND…what?" Kako asked, matching each of the groans and shaking of heads with a confused look. "It's true!"

Takuya sighed and looked at Izumi. "True…but can we just get a move on it? It took us fifteen minutes to get to the front of school…" Under his breath, he muttered, "And I bet it'll take two billion more just to get home."

But to his amazement, Izumi said nothing in her cousin's defense. Frowning, Takuya opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong, but was interrupted by Junpei who asked, "So Kouji, you're organizing the dance, right?"

Kouji nodded proudly in affirmation.

"What's the theme?"

"Masquerade! We all agreed that would be 'romantic' enough. Ai was shooting for romantic, I just wanted the mini-concert."

Junpei grumbled, "Great…suits, suits, and _more_ suits."

"Shut _up_," Izumi muttered. "A masquerade is perfect…"

A smile formed on her lips and Kouji shivered as he thought, _She's up to something…and that's gonna ruin my plans._

Chuckling, Takuya wrapped his hands around Izumi. "You gonna go?"

"Yes. And so are the rest of you," Izumi replied smoothly.

"I'm not!" Kako cheered, jumping up.

Kouichi rolled his eyes. "Make me."

Izumi shot a glare in their direction. "I will."

Eyes widening, Kouichi edged behind Kouji. "She's not going to _really_ make me go, is she?" he whispered to his brother.

Swallowing, Kouji replied, "You'd have to go anyway. I'm making you sing backstage, remember?"

"But I'm only going for the singing, then…"

"No, we'd need you to sing some other time, too…"

"Stop talking behind my back! You're all going whether you like it or not! Except Tomoki," she snapped as Tomoki came running over. "But that's because he's younger. And if you don't go, you can just say good bye."

Takuya sighed in exasperation and let go of Izumi. "Sheesh, Ms. Violent, calm down…this is worse than the time that you and Kako tried to get Kouichi to go trick-or-treating…"

"I _did_ go…as the chaperone," Kouichi muttered.

"You should've gone as me! Then I could've gone as you!" Kouji whined.

Kouichi glared at his twin. "That's just _stupid_. 'Oh, yeah, I'm my twin, and my twin is me!'" he said in falsetto.

"Ew, Kouichi just spoke in falsetto," muttered Kouji, pinching his nose shut.

As they all turned the corner, Kouichi stopped and gazed at the door of the bookstore as he continued, "Shaddup…" Three seconds later, what he was supposed to do hit him. "Oh…I almost forgot, I have to ditch you guys here," said Kouichi hastily, looking around before dashing into the bookstore and calling back, "I'll catch you guys later!"

"What's _he_ up to?" Junpei asked, raising an eyebrow and looking in Kouji's direction.

Kouji shrugged. _And I was just feeling like everything was back in place, too,_ he thought, disappointed. "Oh well…who wants to come over?" he yelled.

A chorus of 'I do!'s answered his question, and soon everyone was on their way to Kouichi's house.

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Kouichi looked around nervously as soon as he entered the bookstore. As soon as he found Mr. Saito in the back, he sighed in relief and walked up to the clerk. "Ah…about those lessons…?"

Mr. Saito blinked a few times before breaking into a smile and murmuring, "Yes…of course, how could I forget? You'll have to forgive me, Kouichi, I appear to be blanking out quite often. Now, meet me in the back room and we'll begin as soon as I close up."

Nodding in thanks, Kouichi rushed to the back, a wave of relief and safety washing over him.

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A/N-

Kouichi! Stop doing illegal things! XP Just kidding. Kouichi definitely is maturing a lot in character. Same with Kouji, even though he seems to be taking a few steps back every now and then….:frowns:. Huh.

I'm gonna start a new story soon! It'll be staring Kouji, and I believe he'll be the only OOC one. Though…it's out of habit that I make them all OOC…haha…a _bad_ habit. But I figured out the beginning, and I find it quite amusing. I hope you will, too. I'll post it up maybe…Thursday or Friday. We shall see. For now, however, I think that this chapter title is…crappy. Oh well. I will update soon, I promise.

Does anyone know why I have zero hits on all my stories...? XP

Review or Flame.


	23. Gift From The Heavens

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

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Gifts From The Heavens

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"Gah!" Kouichi barely dodged out of the way as the stick came rushing towards him.

Mr. Saito swung again as he advised Kouichi, "Quiet your mind, Kouichi. You aren't concentrating, especially with that tornado of thoughts in your head."

"But…I…can't…clear it!" Kouichi managed to shout as he parried each of the blows. Just as he had gotten the last word out, Mr. Saito brought the stick down over Kouichi's head, stopping it an inch away before tapping his forehead with the tip. Kouichi winced at the light impact, then leaned on his stick, bowing in defeat and breathing heavily.

"You think you can use a sword with the amount of skill you contain, Kouichi?" Mr. Saito's voice pierced through his thoughts like a knife, "You have the potential, yes, but you never seem to reach it completely. What are you afraid of, Kouichi Kimura? Close your eyes and figure it out."

Kouichi watched as Mr. Saito headed towards the door, his eyes widened with each step his mentor took. "W-wait! Where are _you_ going?" he exclaimed in a frightened tone. For some reason, Kouichi couldn't help but be himself around Mr. Saito. The man was his idol…and Kouichi was a child in comparison. _The voices…I don't want to fight them just yet…_

But the swordsman merely chuckled. "I'll go get us some tea. Surely you're hungry and thirsty after a bout like that…?"

As his stomach growled, Kouichi reddened and nodded, closing his eyes. As he heard the door shut, Kouichi could indeed see the maelstrom of thoughts in his head. But what amazed him more where the vivid memories of his childhood.

_Why,_ he wondered, _why my childhood?_

_I'm amazed at how I let a fool like you use my spirit_.

Kouichi squeezed his eyes tighter. _Get out of my head, Duskmon!_

_Your childhood. Everyday, you were missing something. Have you ever considered what?_ Duskmon asked, paying no heed to Kouichi's commands.

_A…family._ Kouichi winced as the words came out of his mouth. "F…family…s-so?"

He heard Duskmon snort. _Even more than that. Open your eyes._

Mr. Saito said- That old food knows nothing. Open your eyes! commanded Duskmon. 

Kouichi's eyes flew open in shock. But what shocked him even more was the fact that all his spirits of darkness stood before him, gazing at him calmly. "What…the…?"

"Now look at yourself," Lowemon whispered.

Looking down, Kouichi found his fractal code exposed. "W-what? But-how…I…" stuttered the boy.

"Don't looks so happy," Duskmon snapped, "it's missing something."

"What?" Kouichi looked down again, and found Duskmon was correct. Part of his fractal code was missing. "How…?"

Lowemon answered, elbowing Duskmon so the corrupted spirit wouldn't start snapping again. "It's because the entire time in the digital world, you were a spirit. As such, a part of your fractal code was sent to make your spirit in the Digital World. Lucemon scanned this data, and when the rest defeated him, for some reason, it never returned. Originally, half your fractal code was used for your spirit, but only half of that was in us, your spirits of darkness. That half was returned to you. The other half…remains…lost."

Kouichi frowned. "So…because I gave you spirits a fourth…and I gave you to Kouji before I was scanned…Lucemon had a fourth of my fractal code. But it should have returned to the Digital World! Or…me?" muttered Kouichi, trying to understand where his missing code could possibly be. "But…I don't understand! Is that bad?"

"YES," Duskmon interrupted before Lowemon could say anything. "It's terrible. Now you can't digivolve without some side effect!"

Lowemon glared at Duskmon. "They can't digivolve anyway!"

"Shut up! No one asked you!"

"That's it! I always knew you were a bad apple! JagerLowemon, let's take him out!"

"WOULD YOU ALL STOP?" Kouichi shouted, close to ripping his hair out. "How did this happen? I WANT MY FRACTAL CODE!" yelled the boy, wailing about countless things as soon as he started to rant.

Lowemon sighed. "Duskmon, you're truly a bad apple…such a bad influence on Kouichi. He's being so…childish."

Kouichi stopped and blushed. "Sorry…It's…just been a long time since I've seen you all, and…"

"The voices, dammit! Just talk to the voices!" growled Duskmon impatiently.

Glaring, Lowemon turned to Duskmon. "He didn't finish his sentence!"

"I don't care! I don't want to be here! You know the only reason we're here is because that old hag _Ophanimon-_"

"LADY OPHANIMON IS NOT A_ HAG!_"

Kouichi broke into a smile as he watched the two spirits argue, the beast spirits remaining silent and unmoving. "The fractal code was stolen…and scanned, huh?" he asked softly.

Duskmon whacked Lowemon with the flat of his blade before turning to Kouichi and nodding. "Now you get it?"

"The voices…are those of the thief?"

Lucemon nodded and bashed Duskmon with his shield. "The kid's a natural genius."

"And they want more?" Again, Duskmon nodded. Kouichi sighed. "If it's scanned, how do I get the fractal code back?" he asked in a discouraged voice.

"Scan Seraphimon's," Duskmon muttered, grumbling as Lowemon elbowed him again.

Exasperated with the corrupted spirit of darkness, Lowemon said, "Not Seraphimon. You need to scan the data of the thief or somehow have them release your data, and it will come back to you."

"Gah, that damn Saito's coming: Duskmon muttered, fading into the shadows.

Lowemon nodded and followed Duskmon's example. "Tell no one, Kouichi. No one, unless you can trust them with all you've got," was all he said before disappearing.

Kouichi nodded and watched as the beast spirits came towards him. "Wh-what is it?" he asked, uncomfortable with their silent behavior.

JagerLowemon answered first, "You will need all the strength you can get."

"So we will join you with you," Velgemon added as they both fused into Kouichi.

Kouichi gasped as a chill overcame him, blinking in surprise and looking around, only to find he was alone. He smiled and stood up, feeling rejuvenated, more refreshed than he had felt in a long time. As Mr. Saito opened the door, Kouichi realized he should have stayed down, but bowed in apology.

"I'm sorry I-" he tried to apologize.

But Mr. Saito waved a hand dismissively. "Sit. I have some tea and cookies. Not the best combination, but they definitely can heal a hungry stomach, wouldn't you agree?"

Laughing and nodding, Kouichi sat down in the chair in the corner of the room as Mr. Saito placed the trays on the table and sat down in the opposite chair. "Did you make these?" asked the boy.

"Family recipe. Big secret," Mr. Saito replied with a wink. "I'll tell you sometime. So, Kouji's going out with Kako?"

"Uh huh!" Kouichi affirmed, reaching for a cookie. "And Kouji's forcing me to sing at the Valentine's Day dance, and Izumi's forcing me to go to the entire dance."

With that, Mr. Saito smiled slyly. "Come up with a plan to get her back?"

"No, I'm ju-huh?" Kouichi was caught off guard by the question and completely confused.

"Surely you wanted to date Kako?"

"Well…if she and Kouji are happy, that's fine with me," Kouichi replied, taking a large bite of the cookie.

Stirring his tea lazily, Mr. Saito questioned further, "You aren't jealous?"

Kouichi shook his head and swallowed. "Nah. It's pointless for me to be jealous. Besides, Kouji's my brother." Reaching for the tea, he added, "And I've got other things to worry about besides being jealous. As long as those two are happy, so am I."

Drawing a breath, Mr. Saito let out a long sigh. "Kouji's very lucky to have you as a brother. I just wish…"

"Huh?"

"Well, I am 26…my brother…he…" Kouichi looked up at Mr. Saito in confusion before the man shook his head and murmured, "Never mind. You should head home, now."

"Oh, right," Kouichi said in realization, standing up and bowing in thanks. "Thanks for the lesson."

"Just remember to come back next week."

"I will! Thanks, Mr. Saito!" Kouichi called out as he headed out the door.

Mr. Saito watched as Kouichi walked out the door before standing up and following him in a brisk pace. "Kouichi," he called out before Kouichi turned the corner. The boy turned around to face his mentor. "Bring your sword next week. I want to see what you can do…"

Kouichi's expression changed from one of confusion to great joy. Nodding, he turned around and dashed off. Mr. Saito sighed and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry…so sorry…" he whispered up at the darkening sky. _Maybe…there will be another day…_

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"It's too bad Kako couldn't stay," Takuya muttered as he snickered while creaming Kouji in yet _another_ game of Super Smash Bros. Melee. Junpei was off babysitting for a neighbor, Izumi had piano lessons, and Tomoki had homework. But Takuya and Kouji, being the slackers they were, stayed at Kouichi's house, engaged in a four-hour playing marathon of Super Smash Bros. Melee. And so far, Takuya was winning.

Kouji never took his eyes off the screen. "Oh yeah? Why is that?" he challenged the bandana boy, pressing the correct buttons so his Kirby swallowed Takuya's Link.

Cursing, Takuya took his eyes off for a split second and stuck his tongue out at Kouji. "Cuz we'd totally cream you!"

"THAT'S IT! YOU'RE GOING DOWN!"

Just as the door opened, both boys had their characters on the very edge of the platform.

Kouichi watched for a split second before the power went out. There were two angry screams, and then everything returned to normal, even the T.V. screen was as it had been before the power outage.

"Uh...I don't wanna know," Kouichi said bluntly, heading to his room.

Pressing furiously on the buttons, Kouji called out to his brother, "Kako left her Napoleon papers on your bed. And she agrees with me! You're room _is_ messy."

With a roll of his eyes, Kouichi walked into his room, feeling a strange warmth wash over him, calming him as he lay down on his bed, picking up the Napoleon papers and quickly read through them. Closing his eyes, Kouichi yelled back, "Kouji, I need you to give me the lyrics and music in advance if you want me to sing."

Kouji ran into the room, three papers in hand. "That's great, because I have just the songs! Either _Innocent_, _Into The Blue_, or one of your pick. You have to choose two, though. We're the opener and closer for the dance."

Kouichi shrugged as he sat up and opened his eyes. "I've got no songs in mind...we'll just do those, I guess."

"Cool! Cuz we've practiced since..."

"Last, last, _last_ year," Takuya cut in. "Every other Saturday."

"Two minute practices," Kouji murmured dreamily, "with no homework and the rest of the time spent on videogames and-"

Takuya elbowed Kouji. "Shut up! That was you and Junpei! I had _three_ minute long practices, thank you very much!"

"Actually, Junpei had a minute forty-two practices."

"Whatever...oh, Kouichi, you missed Izumi's lecture about playing videogames! It was hilarious! Mostly because I was creaming Kouji at the time...but it was funny!" Takuya babbled.

The bandana boy snorted, "I was creaming _you_, thank you very much. And it was stupid! Tell her to shut up for me sometime! She's stupid!"

"And Kako's _not_?"

"Izumi's evil!"

"And Kako's _not_?"

"Izumi's got no life!"

"And Kako _does_?"

"AND WOULD YOU TWO STOP INSULTING THEM?" Kouichi snapped, glaring at the two. "They're talented in their own ways...just...Izumi's...the smarter of the two. But Izumi's older, so it balances. Kako's got the gaming talent. And they're both...uhhh...annoying in their own ways, too."

Takuya and Kouji looked from Kouichi to each other before snapping at each other, saying in sync, "My girlfriend is better!"

"NO! MINE!" Kouji snapped.

Glaring, the goggle boy yelled, "IZUMI'S COOLER!"

"SHE'S A DEMON!"

"KAKO'S A MONSTER WITH TEN BILLION HEADS!"

"WELL AT LEAST SHE CAN GAME!"

"AT LEAST IZUMI GETS GOOD GRADES!"

"WELL I DON'T CARE! WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP?" Kouichi screamed, reddening as Kouji made his next comment. "Take it outside."

As they walked out of Kouichi's room, the two boys burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs and doubling over. Kouichi slammed the door and looked at the lyrics that Kouji had given him. "Debate or music...?" he quietly questioned, the debate papers in one hand, lyrics in the other. "Debate..." he finally decided. "Music tomorrow."

But instead, Kouichi threw the debate papers aside and examined the music. "Nah, music's better," he said aloud with a grin. "So what's this third page about...?"

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"Break up into your debate partners. Judges, pick two groups to judge and start the debate!" shouted the teacher above the buzzing conversations at the start of class the very next day.

Almost immediately, Kouji grabbed his brother's sleeve. "Whom can you debate against…? And it's gotta be good…"

"Ai," Kako muttered, glaring at the girl in front of her.

Smiling and waving to the twins, Ai asked innocently, "Do you mind if we join?"

Kouichi narrowed his eyes on her, but said nothing. Instead, Kouji shrugged and replied with much enthusiasm, "Sure, why not?"

"So let the debate begin," Eri murmured in a monotone voice as she brought out her papers. "Ready?"

Kako reddened as Kanaye walked up to Ai and murmured something in her ear. Looking at Kako intently, then nodding to Ai, Kanaye walked off. "Kouichi, you have my debate papers, right?" she whispered nervously as Kouichi finished helping his twin arrange the tables and handed her the papers. Drawing a breath, Kako nodded. "Yeah, we're ready."

Kouji motioned for all four of them to sit down. "Aff, you're up."

"Aff?" Kako asked, suddenly feeling stupid. Wincing, Kouichi whispered in her ear, and she blushed as she mumbled, "Oh...affirmative…haha…knew that…"

Ai smirked as she stood up. "Napoleon was in fact a defender of the revolution. Of course, simpletons such as my opponents there may not understand, but he was, and I have the proof for it. This is why my partner and I stand to affirm the resolution, 'Napoleon upheld the ideals of the French Revolution and did not betray them.'"

As Ai continued her reasoning, Kako quickly jotted down her notes, frowning as she did. _Loopholes, loopholes, _she thought, smirking.

Kouichi tapped her arm. "Since we have no proper line up, you present your reasoning, then I'll do the rebuttal," he told her in a low voice, staring menacingly at Ai. "And yes, I know…there are loopholes everywhere. Obviously not well written on purpose. She wants us to fall into her trap." Kako gave him a confused look, but he merely stated, "I'll explain later. Concentrate on perfecting _our_ arguments."

Whimpering as soon as Ai finished, Kako stood up. "My opponent has obviously provided a well written case. However, it has many flaws that my partner will soon cover. For now, I'll go over our arguments. Napoleon was a defender, yes, it's true…but only to his throne as emperor. He cared for nothing else. Yes, it's true, and you can find it on the very first document Ms. Kawai gave us. This is the main reason we stand to negate the resolution today.

"A majority of the reasoning comes from the motto of the French Revolution; 'Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.' Napoleon did betray these ideals, especially that of Liberty. We find an example of this…"

Kouichi smiled victoriously as Kako continued hammering the case with arguments. _This is perfect. I may be no better than Napoleon…but…at least I pick my fights carefully, _he thought, rising to his feet as Kako finished. "Thank you, now I'll be refuting each and _every_ single point…"

Ai frowned and looked over her shoulder, shooting a look at Kanaye. Apparently, things weren't going as she expected them to.

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"Well, we did pretty well," Kouichi sighed, stretching as he stood up. "Didn't win, though."

Kako dropped her hands into her lap. "W-we didn't?"

"Nope."

"Oh…" murmured the girl, sighing and resting her head on the desk. "Damn…I'm stupid…"

Kouichi shot her a questioning glance. "What?"

"I'm an idiot…a dork…a stupid dumb girl who can't do the simplest thing," she muttered bitterly.

"Kako, our grade isn't dependent on whether we win or not, if that's what you're worried about…"

Kako looked up and wiped her eyes, ignoring the tears that spilled out again. "N-not the debate…in general…I'm stupid…"

"Uh…" Kouichi frowned, unable to understand what she was talking about. "Kako…what…?"

"Oy, move it. We're moving back the desks!" Fujita shouted from across the room.

Getting out of her seat, Kako trembled as she murmured, "I failed my test. I was supposed to stop him, but I didn't…he wasn't…supposed to pass…and I couldn't break it…and…I failed," she burst into tears, crying into the arm of his jacket.

Surprised, Kouichi wrapped his arms around Kako, rubbing her back to calm her down. "It's okay…there's always next time," he said in an optimistic tone. "You'll pass…whatever it is…then…"

"I don't wanna," Kako replied in a hushed voice. "I'm quitting."

"Kako!" Kouichi withdrew his arms, placing his hands on her shoulders and shaking her vigorously. "Snap out of it! I don't know what this is about, but you've never been a quitter before! Don't start now!" he told her firmly, dropping his hands to his sides and sighing. _Damn, I forgot…we're in class,_ he thought, feeling a blush crawl up his cheeks as he received a few stares. Clearing his throat, he pushed a desk forward. "C-come on. We better help put the desks back in order."

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"Daah…damn it, that was a horrible debate. Kouichi, you totally creamed them!" Kouji grumbled. "You should've debated Kanaye. I heard he's a hell of a debater."

Kouichi shrugged as he leaned against the wall while he, Kouji and Kako waited for Takuya, Izumi, and Junpei. "We still lost."

"No!" insisted the younger twin, "You guys won! Those two were freakin' clueless!" Kouji opened his mouth, ready to ask Kako to back him up, but instead found her in her current state. "Kako?" he murmured quietly, a hand on her shoulder.

"Uh…huh…" Kako looked up at Kouji. "Heat of vaporized atom is the bond strength for metallic bonds…changing metals…into…oh, ignore me…I decided to get an early start in Chem," she murmured, mostly to herself.

Worried, Kouji allowed his hand to slip down her shoulder and into her own hand. "Hey...are you sure you're okay?" he asked in a low voice, tugging lightly on her hand.

Kako nodded and blushed, embarrassed. Quietly, so as to not worry Kouji, she murmured, "I'm...just out of it."

Kouji smiled. "Great! So you can come over to help me cream Takuya!"

"No...I...need to go somewhere right now."

"Oh...dammit, but it's Friday!" he pleaded.

Kako looked at the cement ground in front of her. "I'll come over tomorrow...or try anyway..."

"Great!" Kouji gave her a quick kiss on the lips before turning to his brother. "What about you?"

Kouichi shrugged. "I'm heading to the bookstore. I need a new book to read."

Kouji grumbled, "Stop spending your money on books and give it to me for my birthday!"

"Why?" asked Kako, tilting her head to the side as she looked up at Kouji.

"Because then I can pay him back for the window."

Kako broke out into laughter. "You're so pathetic! It makes me wonder why I'm dating an idiotic dunce like you...I'll catch you two later. Oh, and when Izumi comes out, can you tell her I'm sorry?"

Kouji's face fell. "Sure...but...I'm not an idiotic dunce!"

Smiling, Kako waved before walking off, her head bowed low as she looked at the ground in front of her.

Kouichi sighed as he looked behind his shoulder. "Where's Takuya, anyhow?"

"Izumi! WAAAAAAIIIIIIT!" the twins heard Takuya yell as he scrambled after Izumi, who was stomping out of the classroom.

Izumi turned around and threw Takuya's goggles in his direction. "Shut up! I hate you, Takuya! Just...just go away!" she yelled, storming past the twins, shouldering Kouji.

Junpei winced as he edged towards the twins timidly. "What...happened?" he asked, shivering as the scene replayed itself in his head.

Takuya fell to his knees, staring at the goggles that lay a few feet in front of him. "I...damn it all..."

"Uh, I suppose now would be a bad time to ask if you want to come over to-" Kouji started.

"No, I don't!" Takuya snapped, his face contorting into one of pure hate and anger. "Just leave me alone!"

Kouichi frowned as Takuya picked himself up, slung his backpack on and stepped on his goggles, breaking the glass lens. "If you're sure," he murmured quietly as Takuya passed him. "Junpei, I'm assuming you two are going to pick up Tomoki and drag him over to game?"

The older boy nodded. "Yep. Takuya was supposed to, too...but...uh..."

"Okay, then I'm heading to the bookstore," Kouichi interrupted, heading off in the direction Kako had walked off in. "I'll catch you two in an hour or so."

Kouji nodded, watching Takuya's retreating figure before gazing over at his brother's. "He better get a hang of those songs soon..."

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"Huh...well, they don't have that book...maybe I should get Kouji some Megatokyo for his birthday," Kouichi murmured to himself, scanning through the books. At last, his eyes fell upon a single book. Kouichi examined the book as he picked it off the shelf into his hands and read the title aloud, "_The Secret Diary of Marise S._ Huh. Interesting...it looks old. And...the title was scratched off...?"

Frowning, Kouichi held onto the book as he continued to examine some more, occasionally glancing around for a book of the same title. In the end, he just figured it was the last book of the title and the scratch was intentional.

With a sigh, he headed to the front to buy the book, wondering what exactly Izumi had been so upset about. _Probably still upset about earlier this week,_ he decided, staring absentmindedly at the back of the person in front of him.

"Well, do you have it or not?" asked the rude voice.

Mr. Saito remained calm. "If it isn't on the shelf, then we obviously don't have it in stock. I advise you come and check at a later time," he replied, shutting his eyes.

The boy in front of Kouichi turned around with closed eyes, accidentally bumping into Kouichi. "Would you watch it?" the boy snapped, his eyes flying open. "Oh...you...you hang out with Kako, is that right?"

Kouichi examined the boy in front of him with a frown. Choosing his words carefully, he nodded as he answered, "Yeah, why?"

"I need you to give this to her. Tell her it's from Kanaye." He threw a folded up paper at Kouichi before turning to Mr. Saito and snapping, "I'll be checking tomorrow." Without another word, Kanaye left.

Mr. Saito merely shrugged and turned to Kouichi, who picked up the paper, a look of pure disgust on his face. "So, Kouichi, how may I help you today?"

"Uh...I'm going to buy this," Kouichi murmured, handing the bookstore owner his book. "What the...? That..." Struggling to get the words out, Kouichi crumpled the paper in his hands and stuffed it in his pocket angrily. "What kind of screwed up order is that? Stuck up," he muttered, pulling out his wallet. "How much is the book?"

His mentor ran his hands over the cover quietly, a small smile on his face. Finally, he sighed and smiled as he stated, "Free. The book is free."

"What?"

"Enjoy it. I'm not sure you will...but...it's not as dark as it seems. That accident was never supposed to happen..." Mr. Saito whispered to himself.

Kouichi accepted the book and put it in his bag. "Mr. Saito, are you okay?"

Closing his eyes, the man nodded. "Read it, and read it soon. As soon as you go home," he commanded harshly, his eyes flickering as he opened them.

Not understanding the importance of the matter, Kouichi nodded. "Sure, okay," murmured the boy. "I'll...see you later, then."

"May that book now never fall into the wrong hands," the clerk whispered, clenching his hands at his sides. "Marise, look over them..."

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Later that night, when Kouichi finally came home, he plopped onto his bed, Napoleon papers on the floor, music and lyrics scattered on his table, items half hidden in his closet. Pulling out the book from his backpack, Kouichi drew a breath, not sure what to expect. After what had happened earlier that day with Takuya and Izumi, then later in the bookstore, Kouichi was sure that the book would be just as strange.

Examining all corners of the book, Kouichi couldn't help but chuckle. He felt so ridiculous examining a book. He had never bothered doing so...he didn't even understand why he was starting now.

With a shrug, he opened the front cover, immediately stunned by what he found. Inside was a small pocket holding a note addressed to someone. Yet, through the loopy writing, he could see the name of the one it was addressed to.

"N-...no way..." Kouichi murmured, cringing as he tried to take out the brittle paper from the transparent pocket. Shivering as he pushed himself up to a sitting position on his bed, he whispered to himself, "There's got to be some mistake...or someone else. I don't know anyone named Marise. Why the hell is this addressed to me?"

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A/N-

.:was totally clueless about the Takuya part before:. I know what to do now! Oh! I have major cliffies all over the place! What does the paper Kako read say? What does the paper Kanaye gave to Kouichi say? What's the book about? What's the note in the book about? What's with Saito...and Kanaye? And Takuya and Izumi? And...at least half those cliffies shall be answered in the next chapter! .:will attempt to do so:.

For now, though...

Review or Flame.


	24. Secret Plots Unfold

Disclaimer-For the Twenty-fourth time in this story, dammit, I don't own Digimon. Too bad.

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Secret Plots Unfold. Unfolding Secrets Plot

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"Mom, did you ever know anyone named Marise?" Kouichi asked the very next morning as his mother sat down for breakfast. The night before, he had been too afraid to open the note, thinking it was a bad omen.

Now, he didn't know w_hat _to think.

Ms. Kimura frowned. "Marise...? No, I don't believe so. Why?" She sent him a look of askance.

Kouichi shrugged. Sighing, he handed his mother her breakfast, then made his way to his room without another word. He supposed it was just that time of life when everything seemed absolutely topsy-turvy. _Absolutely confusing is right, K_ouichi thought, kicking his Napoleon papers aside.

"KOUICHI! Mom says clean your room or I can take pictures and show everyone at school this Monday," Kouji called out as he poked his head in his older brother's room, oohing and aahing at the sight.

Quietly picking up one of his debate papers, Kouichi crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it at his twin as he muttered his little white lie, "Get out. I was going to clean..." Kouichi winced as he stared around at the mess before gazing up and glaring at Kouji.

"Sure...but just in case..." Kouji took something from behind his back.

There was a flash of light and Kouichi yelped, slamming his door shut, "Kouji! You idiot, stay out of my room!" As he heard his twin walk away, bursting into laughter, Kouichi sighed and picked up the crumpled paper by his foot. "Which part of the debate was this?" he mused, scanning through the front side before turning it around, his face paling as he did so. "Oh...this...no way," Kouichi murmured miserably, suddenly feeling as if there was an endless void in the pit of his stomach that threatened to swallow him inside out.

Dropping the page onto the floor, Kouichi got onto his knees and began rummaging under his bed until he pulled out a regular sized notebook. He flipped through it frantically, all the while whispering to himself, "No...please tell me, no..."

Unfortunately, it was true.

Picking up the page he dropped to the floor, Kouichi compared the last entry in his notebook to the first few words of the page. Stupidly enough...

He had written part of his debate on the back of his random emotional outpours. Kouichi shut his eyes, imagining Kako's expression when she finished reading the debate part, then turned to the back of the page and read the entry...It would have to be an expression of pure shock...

...but even worse...

_Hate_.

There was no wonder why she hated him. With trembling hands, Kouichi picked up all of his debate papers, smoothed them, then sandwiched them between two pages of his notebook. He sighed as he sat on his bed, shoving his notebook underneath then taking out Marise's diary from under his pillow and opening it up. For a while, Kouichi stared stolidly at the letter before taking it out of the pocket. The paper was yellowed, it's edges crumbling away that Kouichi swore he heard a crunch as he unfolded the paper.

As he unfolded the paper, a key fell out of the note and into his lap. Two lines were written in blue pen on the note, saying,

_Here is the key,_ _now look through the bandanas_.

PS _It's not the bandanas_.

Reading the note aloud to himself, Kouichi wondered, "What...does that mean? Not the bandanas? What bandanas? And...the key...?" He picked up the key and examined it. The key was silver and small, about a third of the size of Kouichi's house key, perhaps smaller. Quietly, Kouichi placed both the key and the letter back in the small transparent pocket in the front before shutting the book and hiding it under his pillow once more.

Kouichi frowned as he looked around and thought, F_loor and bed, clean. Now for the table...and the closet. _Standing up, he got back to cleaning. Kouichi headed over to his desk, picking up the music and lyrics and arranging them into a pile before taking the lyrics, folding them neatly and shoving them into his pocket. After arranging a few minor photos and such on his desk, Kouichi drew a breath and headed to the closet.

For a long time, Kouichi stared at his closet, not daring to open it. Once he did, however, he shut his eyes and drew a breath.

There was silence.

Cracking open an eye, Kouichi sighed in relief and murmured, "Thank who knows what that I didn't die." Beaming, he took the very first item out of his closet and carefully placed it under his bed. After all, now he would need it every Thursday. Next, he rearranged all the boxes in his closet, carefully stacking them so they wouldn't fall.

And of course, he then did the least interesting thing to do.

"Where'd all the spiders go?" the boy grumbled in an exasperated voice as he walked around his room with a jar to catch the spiders in. I_ swear, they were here a week ago! _Unlike Kako, Kouichi didn't believe in killing spiders. Unable to find any spiders, Kouichi closed the jar, placed it on his desk, double checked his room to see if he missed any spots, then headed to the kitchen for lunch.

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"Kouji, are you busy after lunch?" Kouichi asked his twin as he picked at his food.

Nodding, Kouji replied apologetically, "I've got extra kendo practice I really need. Why?"

Kouichi shrugged. "I planned to ask Izumi about yesterday."

Raising an eyebrow, Kouji questioned his twin, "What makes you think she'd tell you?"

Again, a shrug. "I'm assuming, I guess."

"Huh...well...be careful! Izumi bites."

"Think Kako'd want to go? After all, she needs to apologize..." Kouichi trailed off with a sigh. "Anyway, I'd better get going."

Kouji nodded and glanced at the clock. "Me too. Damn, I have fifteen minutes. Oh, Kouichi?"

"Yeah?"

"Promise me one little thing...?"

Kouichi debated whether or not to accept for a single second before his nice side won out. "What?" he asked, glancing at his brother.

"Take Kako with you. She can tell if Izumi's lying. Plus, I think Izumi'll feel more comfortable that way, too," Kouji murmured, picking up his kendo bag and looking at his brother, then the clock. "And I _really _need to go now!"

Kouichi chuckled as he watched his brother dash off before he picked up the keys, walked outside, and locked the door.

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_Ring the doorbell_...  
_  
No, don't_! _ She'll...hate you, right_?  
_  
JUST RING IT_!

_NOOO_! _You can't make me_!_ Can you_?

_I...I'm not sure, actually, _Kouichi's mind argued with itself as his finger hovered over the doorbell. Kako would kill him, true, especially if her father was home, but he thought it would be a smart move. And if the case arose, he would lie.

Not that he wanted to, but he would do whatever it took.

Holding his breath, Kouichi pushed on the doorbell, squeezing his eyes shut.

The door creaked open, revealing Kako, whose face was pale and shivering.

"Uh...K-Kako...are you okay?" Kouichi asked, suddenly worried as soon as he saw her.

Kako nodded. "Small case of laryngitis," she whispered, holding onto the door for support.

Kouichi frowned as he murmured, "Oh...okay, I'm sorry...I didn't know. Well, I'll see you Monday-"

"N-no, wait!" Kako tried to shout, stepping forward and grabbing his arm. Squeezing her eyes as she coughed, she tried to control her breathing as she reassured him, "I'm fine...really..."

"Yeah, so fine you can't even stand on your own two feet...who...?" Hideki walked up behind his sister and frowned at Kouichi as he muttered, "Oh...the twerp's brother..."

Shrugging, Kouichi asked, "What happened to Kako?"

"She decided that since she did the Napoleon debate and since I was annoying her to death, she might as well debate me to death," Hideki explained absentmindedly, holding onto his sister's shoulders so she wouldn't tip over and fall. Kako glared at him as he continued, "And then she started crying about one thing or another...and kept yelling...and now she's got a small fever and a minor case of laryngitis. And she can't even stand up straight."

Kako whacked her brother's hands away. "I'm fine!" she insisted quietly, placing a hand on the frame of the doorway for support as soon as she nearly lost her balance. "So what if I don't have any sense of balance...? Um...anyway, Kouichi, why are you here?"

Kouichi blinked before shaking his head. "I was going to ask you if you wanted to come with me to Izumi's house. She and Takuya got into some sort of fight yesterday, I'm assuming...so yeah. If you can't, that's fine."

"I can!" Kako snapped, whacking her brother again as he grabbed onto her arm just as she was about to fall to the side. "If Hideki would just stop tilting me over!"

"What? Hey, that's not true!" Hideki exclaimed, staring at his sister in disbelief. "Don't blame me!"

"I'm going to get ready!" Kako grumbled, stomping to her room, nearly tripping forward, but catching herself by placing her hand on the wall.

Hideki grinned as he watched her fall down, then pick herself up. "Stupid. So...Kouichi...how's that twerp of a brother of yours?" he asked, suddenly bored.

Kouichi cocked an eyebrow. "Did you seriously just use my name...?"

"So what if I did? You were replaced by that freaking idiotic twin of yours. So...he hasn't been hurting Kako, has he? Nothing that gives me permission to beat him up?"

Kouichi shook his head, suddenly amused. Chuckling, he said, "You never seemed to care so much about Kako before."

Shrugging, Hideki leaned against the wall. "About that...you haven't opened the present she gave you, did you?"

The younger boy shook his head.

"Well, she didn't open yours. I find it funny how that works. It's amusing, really. Fate's one hilarious story."

"Uh...right," Kouichi muttered, slipping his hands into his pockets. "By the way..." he asked suddenly, "What did Kako fail?"

Hideki squinted at Kouichi before his eyes widened in realization. "Oh...her Taekwon-Do test. Yeah, she was pretty bummed out about it. Cried as soon as she came home Thursday. Then she cried after coming home from school yesterday. And then she started screaming and crying some more. And then she got laryngitis. And I celebrated."

Twitching, Kouichi muttered, "Even I'm not that mean to Kouji..."

"Hey!" Hideki snapped in defense, "_She's _mean to m_e._"

"Whatever! Same thing."

"I still don't see why she's dating that twerp!"

Kouichi shrugged and looked at his shoes thoughtfully, murmuring, "Maybe...they want to. Kind of like you...and...how many girls have you dated _now?_"

Laughing uneasily, Hideki shrugged. "A bunch?"

"May Kouji never be like you."

"What about _you?_"

"...well, someone attempted to blackmail me into dating her...it didn't work very well...it lasted about three minutes," Kouichi replied smoothly.

Hideki grumbled, "I thought you and Kako would go out for sure..."

"People change," murmured Kouichi with a shrug. Louder, he asked, "How was she during her birthday?"

Hideki winced and looked around before he pushed off the wall and muttered in a low voice, "A total demon. Much like yesterday, only more crying. I guess I tend to provoke her a lot, but hey, what are older brothers for?"

Kouichi held back a laugh as Kako came out, putting on a scarf while staring at her brother suspiciously. "What lies were you spreading?" growled the girl, looking from her Hideki to Kouichi. "They're lies!"

Suppressing a laugh, Kouichi nodded to Hideki, a hint of amusement twinkling in his eyes. Then, looking at Kako, he just smiled. "No, he didn't say anything about you sucking your thumb until you were five or ever sleeping by a pink bunny named Yukito that wore a frilly dress. And he didn't say anything about you wanting it to be a unicorn, either."

Kako's eyes widened as Hideki began clapping and laughing, clutching his stomach as he doubled over. "Y-you! If I could yell..."

"Hey, Kako!" Hideki snickered between fits of laughter, "You're sounding better already!"

Turning around and kicking her brother's shin before walking up to Kouichi, Kako muttered, "Now I know what Rai meant when she said you're an idiot."

Howling as he grabbed his foot, Hideki began to bounce around. "H-hey!"

It was Kouichi's turn to laugh as Kako stuck her tongue out at her brother before marching away. "Some sister you have, Hideki," he murmured with a smile, waving before running after Kako.

Hideki just chuckled as he let his foot fall to the floor. He watched Kouichi pull Kako's hood over her head, leaning against the doorframe comfortably. "And if only I had time to tell you, you would know what the future has in store for you, Kimura."

------------------------------------------

"So...Hideki didn't tell you that? How'd you know?" Kako asked softly, adjusting her scarf. A shiver made its way down her spine as she unconsciously edged towards Kouichi for warmth.

Kouichi smiled smugly as he looked at her and replied, "Secret source." After a pause, he turned her towards him and pressed a hand against her forehead. "Well, you're still burning, but your voice..."

"I ate a peppermint and drank some tea with honey. Takes a while, but it's effective," she whispered back. "So...you're going to sing during the Valentine's day dance?"

After a second of pondering, Kouichi shook his head. "Nope. Kouji is," he lied smoothly, removing his hand.

"Oh..." murmured Kako as they began to walk again.

"And he asked me to pick two songs...but they're all pretty good...so...wanna help me?"

Kako turned to Kouichi and nodded. "Sure."

Beaming, Kouichi pulled the folded papers out of his pocket. "He was pretty stupid about it, too. Didn't even know he gave me one of these. Alright...so...this one, _In The Blue_, or _Innocent_?"

Taking the lyrics into her own hands, Kako's eyes widened. Shaking her head and scanning them again, she looked up at Kouichi with a frown as she mumbled, "But they're all good! I think...though...he should start off by singing _Innocent_. Then, _In The Blue_, and finally...this last one. Does it have a title?" Kouichi shook his head. Fingering the paper, Kako smiled and whispered, "_Oreta Tsubasa de_. That. He should sing that last."

Kouichi nodded gratefully and took back the papers. "Great! I'll tell him that. And now I need to ask you something else..."

"What?"

"Kanaye. He..." Kouichi shut his mouth as he fingered the paper Kanaye had given him the day before. "Um...he mentioned something to me about forgetting to give you some...chores...?"

The color drained from Kako's face as she looked up at Kouichi. "D-did he give you anything?"

"No...but...I'd appreciate an explanation."

Kako drew a deep breath before letting out a sigh. "Kanaye...well, he took the test with me. He came here over the summer, like I did, same belt and everything. His uncle runs our Taekwon-Do dojo and...and so, well..."

"Calm down..." Kouichi murmured, frowning. "Just...start from Kanaye...?"

"Okay...well, Kanaye's well known for his luck in betting, as it turns out. That's how he gets everywhere, pretty much. So...we made a bet..."

"And...?"

"Well, I bet that I would pass, and he wouldn't. Because, well, for some reason, his uncle decided that only one of the two testing red belts could move onto black stripe. The other would have to retest. So I bet..." At this point, Kako burst into tears, burying her face into Kouichi's arm. "And I lost..."

Kouichi's eyes betrayed his surprise, but he kept his calm as he pried Kako off his jacket, forcing a smile. "Listen...I'm sure you'll get through this. Whatever it is. What do you have to do now, because you lost?"

"I...have to do whatever he orders me to do for a month. No questions. So if he ordered me to steal something, I'd have to. If he ordered me to kill someone, I'd have to. And I don't want to!" she cried, wiping her eyes. "I let everyone down. They all hate him...and I..."

Biting his lip, Kouichi held out his hand. "Come on. Crying'll only make your throat worse. Besides...I have a bad feeling Izumi and Takuya's situation is just as bad."

Kako nodded and placed her hand in his, wiping her eyes with another hand. "I really wish I _were_ a thief now..."

Her companion chuckled as he looked at her, "Why?"

"Then I wouldn't be stuck in this stupid town! I want...I want to see my mom again..."

"You sound a lot like Jing, only more whiney."

"Hey!"

"Come on, we're here..."

Kako froze as she stared up at Izumi's house. "I don't want to go..."

"Well, you're going to have to. Come on," Kouichi ordered, dragging her by the hand and ringing the doorbell.

Silence dawned over them for several seconds before footsteps were heard and the door opened. Izumi stood before them, red-eyed and confused.

"Izumi, are you okay?" Kouichi asked gently, frowning as he scrutinized her. "You look...like..."

Kako suppressed a giggle as she guessed, "You fell out of bed, right?"

Izumi nodded and Kouichi raised an eyebrow. "Literally?" he asked, surprised when she nodded again.

Noting Kouichi's confused look, Izumi explained, "I sleep late on Saturdays."

"Mind if we come in?"

"Sure...and Kouichi, are you and Kako..." Izumi stared at the two as they reddened and edged away from each other. "Okay, so I guess not..."

"ANYWAY," Kako said loudly before clutching her throat. Softer, she muttered, "I mean, anyway..."

Seeing as how no one was getting to the point, Kouichi walked in and dragged Kako along. "Well, I want to know what happened between you and Takuya yesterday."

"THAT IS SO STRAIGHTFORWARD! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO GO AROUND THE MATTER!" Kako screamed, whacking Kouichi's shoulder.

_Ow,_ Kouichi thought, wincing as he rubbed his shoulder. "What would the point be, then?"

"It's not as...impolite!"

Sighing, Izumi rubbed her head and waved a hand at the couch. "Sit down...I'll go change. Call for Yuna if you want anything to eat or drink."

Her two guests nodded and sat down on opposite ends of the couch, Kako looking away from Kouichi and glaring while the boy merely shut his eyes and folded his arms.

Quietly, Kako turned her head, catching a small glimpse of Kouichi. Biting her lip, she crawled towards him, listening to his breathing. "K-" she stopped herself before she said his name, a hand flying to her mouth just in case. Dropping her hand, she leaned towards him some more, only a few inches lay between them...

"Kako, what are you doing?"

Kako yelped and fell off the couch, rolling under the table. "Dammit, Izumi! You're _really_ lucky the table's high enough."

Kouichi's eyes flew open and he gazed down at Kako. "What happened?" he asked, looking up at Izumi.

Izumi grinned. "Oh...nothing. Nothing at all."

Glaring at her cousin, Kako stood up, brushed herself off and sat down, even further away from Kouichi. "So...mind telling us?"

"Uh...right, but first...I need my breakfast!"

"It's well past lunch," Kouichi informed her.

"Well, lunch, then. I've been thinking a lot...and sleep seems so essential nowadays..."

Kako took off her scarf and rubbed her throat. "Hey, Izumi," she murmured, "Do you have any peppermints? And...could I have honey with tea?"

Izumi nodded and walked into the kitchen. Kouichi turned to Kako, an amused smile on his face. "So, what did you do that ended up with you rolled under the table? I missed it all, unfortunately."

_A good thing you did, too_, Kako thought, reddening. "Umm...I was looking up at the ceiling," she lied. "Er...it was...well...okay, so I've never been to Izumi's house in a long time and it's bigger than I remember!" Kako finally confessed, glaring at Kouichi.

"Oh. Okay," Kouichi said indifferently, looking around. Under his breath, he muttered, "Definitely larger than Kouji's house."

"What?"

"Nothing..."

Silence befell them for a few more seconds, and Kouichi shut his eyes again, his lips moving as if he were conversing with someone. Kako tilted her head to the side as she examined him before throwing her scarf in his direction.

Kouichi opened his eyes, feeling the cloth brush against his hand. Looking up at Kako, he shook his head as he guessed, "Don't tell me...you threw the scarf?"

"I was bored," came the casual reply.

"Okay! Peppermints and tea for all of us!" Izumi called out cheerfully as she placed the tray she was holding on the table and sat down on the couch opposite of her friends. "So...why'd you come, again?"

"I _knew_ you were half asleep," Kako muttered, snatching her tea cup and bringing it up to her face. "Oooh...warm..."

Her cousin shot her a glare. "Hush, I'm still angry with you. So," she said sweetly as she turned to Kouichi, "what was this about?"

"You and Takuya, yesterday," Kouichi replied, picking up a peppermint and unwrapping it.

Izumi's face fell as she gazed into her tea. "I...well...it started with the debate in the morning. Takuya had to debate Kanaye...and...so, for some reason, I was talking to Takuya, and Kanaye...he...he..."

"He made a bet," Kako whispered softly, "That's what happened, right?"

Through tears, Izumi nodded. "Yeah...but before that, he asked me to the dance."

Both Kako and Kouichi's jaws dropped as they yelled, "WHAT?"

"And Takuya said no, and then they made a bet! Whoever won would take me to the dance, and Takuya didn't want to accept, but...but...but Kanaye...and..."

As Izumi withheld tears, Kako placed down her tea. "Well...I guess we're in the same boat. Hah...so what else was part of the deal?"

"And...Takuya's his servant for a month. And he has to 'ditch all his friends and his girlfriend.' That..."

"Bastard, yeah..." Kako muttered, popping a peppermint in her mouth. "Wish I could beat him up without getting in trouble."

Kouichi fingered the paper Kanaye had given him earlier. "So...that's his game, is it?"

"Kouichi, don't even _try_ getting into a bet with him! He'll think up something horrible for you, like...like...um...I don't know! I don't have a stupid m-oh..." Kako muttered. "I know what he'd do to you! He'd have you torture Kouji! Not that you wouldn't mind, but-"

"Don't be stupid! Of course he'd mind!" Izumi snapped.

Sticking out her tongue, Kako countered, "Says you!"

"And my army!"

"Well _I_ don't see any army! Do you, Kouichi?"

Kouichi sighed and closed his eyes. "Kanaye...bets...there's got to be some bet I can win...I bet..." He clenched his hands into fists, squeezing his eyes shut. "Of course," he murmured, opening his eyes. "It's the only way. I have to go, now," he murmured, getting up. "Kako, I'll walk you home, unless you two cousins plan on arguing more...?"

Kako shook her head. "No...I'll stay with Izumi. I-"

"No, go," Izumi interrupted, standing up. "I have piano lessons, homework, then violin lessons. Mom's not letting me off that easy."

"Okay," Kako murmured. "Thanks for the peppermints, though..."

"YOU ATE THEM ALL?" Izumi shrieked.

"No, I stuffed them in my pocket. I was running out."

Rolling her eyes, Izumi muttered, "Typical. Kouichi, whatever you're planning...be careful."

Kouichi nodded. "Okay. Later, Izumi."

Kako gave Izumi a quick hug, murmuring something in her ear before dashing out the door with Kouichi. She could only hope that things wouldn't get any worse.

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A/N-

Okay! Answered some cliffhangers, but made some more. Kouichi, you're totally brilliant! And right now, I wanna be Kako...she gets mint.

Well, I'm off to go to Southern California for a Marching Band trip. And since Friday's going to be a busy day for me, and I won't be here Saturday or Sunday, I'm leaving you here with these two chapters. Now do me a favor...?

Just a small one, okay? Pick a new story you want me to put up:  
-Depressed Kouichi  
-Power-hungry possessed Izzy  
-Cursed Kouji  
-Takumi (TakuyaxIzumi)

Of course, those aren't the titles, because that would be...interesting, but those are just two to four word explanations. So please pick, and when I come back on Monday, I'll be ahead in homework and fanfics, I swear!

Thank you, everyone who reviewed. I will thank you formally next chapter, unfortunately I'm in a hurry.

Review or Flame.


	25. Domino Effect

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon. Just a rotting brain. XP Yeah, I'm thinking I'm that stupid.

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Domino Effect

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"Il vaut mieux que j'aille...jaille...okay, I don't remember," Kako muttered. "Any word of the French language we learned has drained from my head. Um...what was it? Comment dit-on 'It's better that I go home?'"

Kouichi sighed. "Il vaut mieux que j'aille à ma maison, or Il vaut mieux que j'aille chez moi," he murmured.

"Right! Um...what you said...I still can't believe Izumi told me to leave! Well...where are you going?"

"I've...got...uh...practice."

"What practice?" Kako asked curiously.

Kouichi turned red as he stuttered, "J-just practice! It's...nothing!"

Kako raised an eyebrow. "Tell me-er…dites-moi, ou...ou die is morte, right?"

"Yes, it's morte."

"Sweet! Okay, dites-moi ou morte?"

Sighing, Kouichi pulled out the slip of paper Kanaye had given him and glanced at it. The list seemed endless. "Kako," he murmured, crumpling the paper and stuffing it back in his pocket, "I...um...I better go. Do you mind?"

Kako shook her head and closed her eyes as she answered, "Nope. I'm not heading home anyway."

"What? No! Go home!"

"No...I'm bored...d'you mind if I go with you?"

"I...uh..." Kouichi began to stutter, turning a deeper shade of crimson. "S-sure...I mean! Oh...whatever...I was just going to the bookstore, anyway..."

Opening her eyes, Kako giggled. "Okay!"

S_o much for lessons, _Kouichi thought dismally.

-----------------------------------------

"What are you doing in the bookstore, anyway?" Kako asked, walking in and stopping beside Kouichi. Looking at the front desk, she waved and called out, "Hi, Mr. Saito!"

Mr. Saito nodded to her with a smile before continuing his business. Kouichi stared around quietly before walking deeper into the store. "In the bookstore, there are books. What else?"

Kako frowned and asked, "So...are you going to buy a book?"

Walking towards one of the nearby shelves, Kouichi shook his head. "Nope, but brilliant deduction, Einstein. That would apply to the common shopper."

"What?" Kako ran after him as he passed through the bookshelves. "Eww...pre-calc attack."

"Hmm...maybe I should get...nah...okay, this s_hould _be interesting," Kouichi muttered, picking two books off the shelf. "Two books, two bets. And I get money off the very first one."

Kako stared at the books in disbelief as she tried to comprehend Kouichi's manner of thinking. "What? How...? They're just...pre-calc..."

"Precisely. I can bet pretty well myself, you know. Ad I don't plan on telling you what I'm doing, so shush! Don't even ask!" he warned as she opened her mouth.

"Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, TELL ME!" Kako yelled, jumping up and down, yanking on Kouichi's sleeve. "Please? Oh, come on! Do I have to stuff a banana in your mouth or something?"

Raising an eyebrow, Kouichi turned to her. "What's wrong with bananas?"

"They're _disgusting_."

"True...but they're good for you...unlike chocolate."

"Hey!"

Chuckling, Kouichi headed to the counter to buy the books. "But yes, I'll agree. Chocolate _is_ good for the soul."

Kako cackled. "Of course it is. And you forgot to take half of my Halloween candy."

Kouichi merely smiled to himself as Kako began to laugh triumphantly. Turning to Mr. Saito who stood behind the counter, staring off into space, Kouichi said, "Hey, Mr. Saito. Um...are you okay?"

Mr. Saito looked down at Kouichi. There was a look of surprise in his eyes, which he closed a second later as he nodded. "Well, Kouichi," he murmured with a small sigh. "What can I do for you today?"

"These two. No, they aren't both for me," Kouichi quickly added, noting the twinkle in the bookstore owner's eyes as soon as they opened. "It's for two bets."

"Oh really?" Mr. Saito suddenly frowned. "Be careful..."

Grinning, Kouichi replied, "Considering one's a bet with Kouji, I'll be fine!"

"HUH?" A startled look turned into a glare and Kako whacked Kouichi's shoulder. "Stop it!"

Now confused, Kouichi rubbed his shoulder and whined, "What? He owes me money..."

"B-but! That's so mean!"

Kouichi merely shrugged. "No, it's a pretty nice way to get him to pay up considering it'll only be twenty dollars. Besides, I _could_ do worse..."

"LIKE?"

He frowned and shrugged again, muttering, "I can't think of anything else. Maybe...I don't know."

"Maybe...?"

"Maybe I'd beat him up for it...? That was what I was going to say, but I don't really see how I could or would want to. It just wouldn't...oh, thanks, Mr. Saito," Kouichi sighed thankfully, taking his books.

Mr. Saito nodded. "And yes, tomorrow would be fine."

"What?" It took the boy several seconds before he realized what Mr. Saito had just said. When the words finally took full effect and sunk into his head, he bowed gratefully and murmured, "Right, thank you, sir."

A puzzled look flashed over Kako's face. Poking Kouichi's shoulder, she suddenly exclaimed eagerly, "I wanna know! I wanna, I wanna, please? Oh, come on, Kouichi, please? Bye, Mr. Saito!" As soon as Kouichi said his goodbye, Kako continued to pester him.

Eventually annoyed, Kouichi stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Kako. "I'm not telling you anything, Kako, so shut up! And stop following me! It's...creepy..." Shuddering, Kouichi continued walking, now at a quicker pace.

Kako ran after him, unfazed. "But I wanna hear you practice the songs!"

"NO!" yelled the boy, breaking into a run as he took a shortcut through an alleyway. Realizing his mistake, Kouichi yelled, "I'm not singing, remember? Just...stop following me!"

"LIAR! Hah! I'll make Kouji force you!"

"No! Just because you're going out with him, doesn't mean you can overpower him!" _I think...I HOPE!_

Sticking out her tongue, Kako returned hotly, "Yes I can! Just you wait and-Ack, what the-" She swore silently as she nearly bumped into Kouichi, who had suddenly stopped.

"Shush," Kouichi muttered, holding up a finger to silence her. "Just...one...out of the way!" he suddenly yelped, dropping his books and pushing Kako out of the way as the sword whizzed past and cut down his shoulder, stopping inches away from his wrist. Wincing, Kouichi fell on a knee, hand over his bleeding left shoulder. "What...who...the..."

As the sword bearer stepped of the shadows, Kako scrambled to her feet and ran to Kouichi's side. "Idiot! Are you okay?" she asked, examining his shoulder, a half-worried, half-panicked look on her face.

He stood up and nodded, glaring at the figure. "So you're going as far as to murdering people? Really, Kanaye, you don't seem the type."

Laughing, Kanaye lowered his sword. "Oh, not killing, just scaring." Bushing his bangs out of his eyes, he included, "It's fun when I'm bored. Really, you should try it sometime. All those stupid humans, running away and screaming..."

As Kako found Kanaye's gaze resting on her, she squeaked and edged behind Kouichi. "Kouichi...what's your brilliant plan?" she asked in a small, praying he had a plan. "You have a plan, right?"

Kouichi shook his head and murmured back, "Not really...school would have been the better battleground."

"Wait-did you just call humans stupid? That's just...stupid!" Kako suddenly blurted, looking at Kanaye. "You're human, FYI!" She pointed to Kanaye at this point, her confusion evident.

Kanaye chuckled before bursting into full out laughter. "Fool...I'm amused you don't realize. But _you_ would, wouldn't you?" he turned to Kouichi as he said this, "Eh, Duskmon?"

"Sh-shut up!" Kouichi growled, struggling to stay standing. "What do you want?"

"Two days," Kanaye sneered. "And that's it."

Kouichi glared in defiance, but said nothing as Kanaye turned around and walked off. "Stupid Sephiroth wanna-be," he muttered, squeezing his eyes shut to ignore the pain. "G-god, I need to wrap this up," gasped Kouichi weakly, opening his eyes. "Let's go..."

Kako bit her lip and nodded, walking besides Kouichi and hoping he wouldn't fall. There was no chance she could carry him.

As the two made their way off into the distance, a figure silently walked up to the books, picking them up and dusting them off. "It seems," the person murmured, "that he is in greater danger than we imagined."

A second figure remained in the shadows, merely nodding.

"And something must be done."

"We will leave it to him. He will be able to handle it."

"But she doesn't believe so..."

"There is much she does not understand yet. In time," the second figure murmured, walking away, "you will both see."

---------------------------------------------

"Where's the key?" Kako frantically asked, as Kouichi nearly yelled in pain. The walk hadn't been so long, but Kouichi had still lost a lot of blood. "Or-I-is Kouji home?"

"No...he's...got practice...it's under the doormat," whispered Kouichi, breathless and wishing he could faint on the spot. Of course, that would be incredibly inconvenient to many people, mostly Kako, and he didn't think falling on the ground would be very pleasant.

Kako fumbled with the mat before picking up the key, opening the door, and running inside. "No one...home? Ack! Kouichi, not now!" she yelled, running back before he collapsed.

Kouichi staggered up the steps, feeling nauseous and dizzy, eventually leaning forward and shutting his eyes as he braced for the impact against the cold floor. Kako yelped as she managed to stop him from falling, but whimpered at the weight. "Sorry," he murmured, crying as he tried to regain his balance.

Watching as he staggered and fell on the couch, Kako sighed in relief. The worst part was over.

Or so she thought.

"Oh...no...Kouichi, how do I stop the bleeding? I need to call the hospital!" she yelled, running to the telephone.

Kouichi sat up as he yelled, "No! J-just...there...I...ugh...fine..." His voice lowered into a bare murmur as he slowly felt his eyelids grow heavy and his vision blur with bright white spots.

He needed a lot more strength than he had expected.

-----------------------------------------------

"Kouichi? Are you awake?"

Kouichi opened his eyes, welcomed by the worried faces of his mother, Kouji, and his friends, all except Takuya and Kako. "Who...what...?"

"You're alive!" Kouji sighed in relief, resting his head on the bed as he sank into a chair. Under his breath, the younger twin added, "Idiot...the second time..."

Looking around, Kouichi slowly sat up. "No Takuya?" he asked, blinking a few times. Everything seemed so out of place…so…distorted. It was when he received no answer that Kouichi grew worried. "Kouji, what happened to-"

"Relax," Kouji murmured, "he's fine. But…you know, that whole thing with Kanaye…and…Shinya's giving us info now."

Kouichi made an effort to stand up, but stopped as soon as his eyes fell on his mother. "M-mom…I…I'm sorry, really, I am," he murmured, gripping the sheets around him tightly and looking down as a wave of shame and guilt washed over him.

Ms. Kimura nodded quietly. "I don't know what you kids do, but whatever it is, I don't want you hurt, anymore," she told him firmly.

"Mom, I-that's just not possible," the boy replied, swallowing as he met his mother's gaze with his own troubled one.

His mother frowned as she simply said, "You'll have to make it so, then."

"I can't!" Kouichi snapped, "I'm sorry, but I can't, okay? I swear, I know what I'm doing!"

"You're _killing_ yourself, that's what!"

"But…" Biting his lip, Kouichi stepped out of bed, took his shirt, and quickly pulled it on. "You'll always have Kouji. I have to go somewhere, now." After a pause, he looked down and added in a low voice, "I'm sorry. I really am, but I _need_ to do this."

As his twin walked out the door, Kouji frowned. This wasn't his fault…was it?

-------------------------------------------------

As he shut the door, Kouichi winced. It had been the first time in a long time that he had talked back to his mother, even snapped at her like that. He didn't mean it, but if that was what it would take to keep everyone else safe, it would have to happen.

_For now_, thought Kouichi, shutting his eyes and walking down the corridor. _Only for now_. He would make it up to her later. Kouichi sat down in a nearby chair, sighing and digging into his pockets for the lyrics Kouji had given him. "So…" he murmured, "These two, I've never heard of, but the last one seems pretty familiar. It's like that tune they played during Christmas, only that was different. But they both seem so…" Kouichi stopped, noticing the figure hovering in front of him. "Uh…Kako…"

"What are you doing out of your room? Get back in there!" the girl yelled frantically, throwing his jacket up in the air.

In turn, Kouichi yelped and made a dive for his jacket, barely catching it in time. As he caught it, his arm burst into pain. "How…long have I been in here?" asked Kouichi, cringing as he slowly put on his jacket, adjusting his arm to prevent it from hurting anymore than it already did.

"I…well, uhm…lemme think. About…a day…"

"Where are my books?" Kouichi suddenly questioned in alarm, attempting to make a dash for the door. Kako, however, grabbed his arm, whacking his injured shoulder. "Left shoulder's off limits!"

Kako glared at him. "'Off limits?'" she repeated, placing her hands on her hips. "Going outside is 'off limits' for _you_! I went back and got the books."

Kouichi's eyes widened. "Alone?"

"N-no…"

"Don't lie to me! You did, didn't you?" growled the boy, his eyes fierce.

"Well…I met Kouji halfway there," Kako murmured, suddenly blushing a furious shade of red.

Kouichi blinked several times before he looked back at the lyrics. "I'll have Kouji sing these two. He's got a good voice, anyway. Nah…he said two songs. Maybe he'll sing these two and leave me alone…"

"Ah-ha! You _are_ singing!"

"Not if I get my way…I can only connect to one of these songs. I refuse to sing the others…" Kouichi replied bluntly.

"Get back in your room! You have to rest!" Kako snapped. "Ugh, I need to talk to…Kouji…"

Kouichi stared at the three papers in his hand. "_Oreta Tsubasa de._ 'With Broken Wings.' If it were possible to fly with such wings, I'd soar to the ends of the earth and back," he murmured to himself.

"You'll be soaring, all right, all through the hospital. Get back in the room, Kouichi," the younger twin growled, pushing Kako aside. "You had _no_ right to talk to Mom like that. What the hell possessed you, huh? I swear, if you ever do that again…"

Kouichi shoved the papers at his brother. "_Oreta Tsubasa de_. I wrote that while I was recovering from the fall, didn't I? And the music from Christmas…I randomly made that up, too," he murmured, a stolid gaze meeting Kouji's furious glare.

Kouji snatched the papers and threw them aside. A murderous glare on his face, the younger twin whispered threateningly, "You realize I'll make you if you don't come of your own will…?" When his brother shrugged, staring indifferently, Kouji sighed and adjusted his sleeves. "Fine," he muttered, hitting the older twin straight in the stomach. "Sorry."

Kako squealed as Kouichi fell against Kouji, slowly losing consciousness as he tried to recover his breath, coughing as he did. "Kouji!" she whispered quietly. "That…wasn't needed!"

Turning to her with a forced grin, he replied in a murmur, "Can't go for complicated, can I? And…heh…about yesterday…? Sorry…"

"O-oh, um, th-that's…okay," Kako excused him with a blush, looking away and coughing. "S-so, uh…shouldn't you put him back in the room?"

"Er…about that…?" Kouji inhaled deeply before yelling, "JUNPEI, TOMOKI! SOMEONE, HELP!"

-------------------------------------------------

For the second time that day, Kouichi found himself lying down on the hospital bed. "Darn…it…Kouji, you didn't have to knock the wind out of me," he muttered, sitting up and finding Kako sitting in a chair, math book open on the bed. Curiously, Kouichi asked, "So you're going to study now?" There was a hint of amusement in his voice.

Jumping, Kako shut the book and looked up. "I'm supposed to yell for Kouji if you try anything funny to get out of the room. So just…lie back down," she instructed.

Kouichi nodded and lay back down. "Hey, Kako…? Why were you blushing when Kouji…uh…Kako?"

"N-no reason!" blurted Kako, blushing again. "Just…nothing…"

Suddenly smiling, Kouichi decided to guess. "What, intense make-out session?" he teased. Slowly, he pushed himself up into a slight sitting position.

"NO!"

"…uh-huh. He didn't hurt you, did he? Ever?"

Blushing even deeper than before, Kako shook her head. "He was acting weird…though. And then he snapped out of it after…"

"Well, I've still got a brother. No legitimate reason for Hideki to kill him."

"Hideki…? Wh-OOH, THAT JERK!"

"Well, he was right about one thing. Your voice _is_ better!"

Kako stood up. "I need to go talk to that dork of a brother of mine. Stay here, okay?"

There was a silence as Kouichi contemplated whether he should promise or not. He rather enjoyed company if he was in the room, but if no one was going to be there…

Then there was the fact that he would be disappoint Kako. Not only Kako, but his mother even more than he had already, and his friends. _How else do I stop Kanaye?_ Kouichi grumbled and nodded. "Fine, but you owe me."

Laughing, the girl nodded. "As long as you stay."

----------------------------------------------------

A/N-Originally titled 'Dominoes,' this chapter was meant to be posted sometime last week.

I'm so sorry for the delay. There have been several factors that caused this. For one, my fanfic notebook's bottom got wet, and it had to dry out. It was only the bottom line of a few pages that got wet, but my art journal...XP. Then, I was upset because my brother played videogames while I was gone and ruined my digimon recordings. I thought I missed a movie, but I don't know now. My AOL version 8.0 screwed up, so now, I can't thank you people formally...

YOU KNOW WHAT REALLY SUCKS! panics I SAVED ALL YOUR PEOPLE'S REVIEWS THERE! ON 8.0! So now, I can't access all I saved there. Something about it's MAIN.IDX file being messed up. .:sigh:. And quite obviously, the last factor is, in fact...homework!

.:sniffles:. All your really cool reviews...I'm gonna have to copy and paste my review pages in emails and send them to my gmail. Grr. But I am _sooo_ sorry! Things have been really hectic these past weeks, and they aren't letting up this week either. They don't plan to give me a break anytime soon. (I lost many valuable MP3 download sites, along with a good Japanese/Romaji - English translator. NOT TO MENTION THE (SEMI) REALLY GOOD MP3 DOWNLOAD SITE! But I can bring it up again...just...not the first one. Gah...but the annoyance of it all)

I have a black belt thesis to finish before Christmas break, a math test to study and pass if I want Generations booster packs for Digimon, Christmas/late b-day presents to get, and...

Fanfics to write. I'm sorry, but the Takumi I planned to post may have to be posted in place of Not The Bandanas if things turn out _really_ bad. I won't be _ditching_, it's just I've got lots of chapters of that story, and I'm not ahead in chapters in NTB 2, here. XP But I don't plan to have to do that.

Sooo...I'm pretty stupid, here. My chapters are starting to get crappier as school comes to Christmas break. In real life, I mean. As for in the story...well, I'm sure, although the chapters will get stupider, the plot will heighten. Before I forget, I need to thank several people, who I can't name at the moment from loss of memory, for many ideas in my story. They help me when I get stuck in stupid writer's block, and might as well be the authors of this story. Now...as for reviews, I love you all, and your reviews are motivational, but...I need tough critics here. Cut me no slack (especially about being late with the chapter).

Review or Flame.


	26. Wishes, Regrets, And More Arguments

Disclaimer-The more I see it, the more I wish I could, but I don't own Digimon, sorry.

-------------------------------------------

Wishes, Regrets, And More Arguments

-------------------------------------------

"I'm home!" Kako yelled, shutting the front door behind her. "Hideki?"

"What is it?" her brother snapped irritably, covering his cell phone. "Bug me another time, kid." As Kako's face fell, he sighed, "Just...one second, okay?" Beaming, Kako nodded and pulled up a chair to wait. Quickly apologizing and saying his goodbye, Hideki hung up and turned to his sister. "So, kid, what?"

Kako quickly made her point, "Your dream. Tell me."

A look of confusion was replaced by amusement. "So, that's it, then? Before we start off with that, tell the twerp to stop doing things I don't approve of him doing, aka being ten feet near you, and two, the next time that Kanaye bastard hurts you, I'll...well, castrate him."

"R-right. Umm...so...dream," Kako said quickly to avoid any oncoming (and possibly disturbing) rant. She swallowed the urge to gag at Hideki's last comment.

Hideki nodded. He sat down in a nearby chair and shut his eyes as he began to tell her his dream. "So, well, it started with you and Kouichi being attacked, but since I knew you wouldn't get hurt, I let things be. Best if you alter as little as possible. Then...well, something that doesn't concern you happens. But...before that, the twerp was mo-"

"_Hideki_..."

"...Okay, fine, trying to make ou-"

"_Hideki_," growled Kako for he second time. "Does your name mean pervert or something?" _How does he get so out of hand...? It makes me wonder if he's really my brother,_ she thought dismally, thinking of how he could go on and on about the strangest matters.

"_He was trying to freaking make out with you_, okay? Okay!" her brother snapped in return. "And then...the part that doesn't concern you...and then the dance. Oh, which reminds me. For the certain events that happened where the twerp and Kanaye were involved, you may not go to the dance."

Kako's jaw dropped. "WHAT? Just because Kouji was being weird and Kanaye nearly murdered Kouichi?"

_Not quite, but she can believe what she wants,_ Hideki thought with a quick nod. Opening his eyes, he sighed, "That's when Dad's coming back, too. And you know he doesn't like you going to any dance, much less a masquerade, so forget it. Not that you yourself want to-"

"But I actually wanna this time! Ahhh! This isn't fair!" Noticing Hideki's puzzled look, Kako explained, "Kouji's getting Kouichi to sing!"

"Oh...are you two dating? Didn't see that coming..." Hideki frowned as he squinted and rubbed his head, trying to recall his dream.

"NO! I'm still...g-going out with Kouji."

Her brother's face fell. "Still with the twerp...well, anyway, you can't go."

Glaring at Hideki, Kako stood up. "That wasn't useful, and I'm going to the dance! So tough!" she yelled before racing out of the house.

Hideki shook his head, chuckling, "Whoever said you _aren't_ going?"

-------------------------------------------

Kako sighed as she leaned against the door of the room Kouichi occupied. For some odd reason, she couldn't get herself to go inside. Shutting her eyes, she whimpered to herself, "God I feel stupid. Damn you, Kouji! I can't do this. But it's so quiet...gaaah..." _Someone has to check on him_, she thought, opening the door. "Kou-oh...he's still here," murmured Kako in surprise. Quietly, she made her way towards his side. "Sleeping. Wonder what he's thinking..."

Kouichi murmured something and turned to his side, his face now facing Kako. "No...uh...leave my sword alone," he yelled, his hand hitting the air in front of him.

Effortlessly, Kako sidestepped the hit, curiously moving forward. "He has a sword? Someone has weird dreams," Kako giggled as she edged towards him, inches from his face. Sighing, she murmured, "Kouichi, you're such a dork sometimes..."

A r_eally cute dork._

"Gah!" Kako yelped, falling backwards. Kouichi awoke at the sudden noise of a stool clashing to the floor. "Ow...stupid voices in my head," whined Kako, rubbing the back of her head. "Ah!" she yelled, seeing Kouichi awake, "Kouichi! Go back to sleep!"

Kouichi sat up, blinking as he looked over at Kako. "You're on the floor...again. Why-"

"Don't ask," Kako replied dryly, standing up and brushing herself off. "Just...don't ask."

"Okay...why are you on the floor? This is the second time in two days that you've fallen on the floor while I've had my eyes closed or was sleeping. I think I deserve an explanation," he chuckled, resting on his side.

"Uh...uh..." Kako stuttered, unable to find a suitable excuse, "I just...got...scared out of my seat."

"By...?"

"People...and...uh...squirrels."

Raising an eyebrow, Kouichi echoed her response, "Squirrels? You're...kidding, right?" Kako shook her head. The boy sighed and shrugged as he sat up. "If you say so. Hey, Kako...could you do me a favor...now?" Looking up at Kouichi, Kako nodded. "Um, w-well...could you...ask them to...let me out? I can't stay in here forever, you know."

Kako nodded quietly, then walked up to him. "If I do that...you have to promise me something. ...Do you promise not to make any bets with Kanaye?"

His eyes betrayed his hesitation, but Kouichi nodded nevertheless. "Deal."

Breaking into a smile, Kako threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Kouichi. I'll go ask now!"

As Kako ran out of the room, Kouichi la back on his bed, raising his right arm and examining the long slash that trailed towards his wrist. "Not too_ de_ep. Good. I should be able to wield it properly. Hey, Duskmon, Lowemon...do you think I should have told Kako the truth instead of tricking her into getting me out?"

"No duh? Personally, I don't really care," Duskmon muttered as he stepped out of the shadows with Lowemon beside him. The two digimon walked over to Kouichi, Duskmon standing in front of Lowemon. "You know, we're going to have to accompany you everywhere now."

"What?" Kouichi exclaimed in disbelief. He sat up, startled. "NO!" He looked at Lowemon, hoping the warrior of Darkness would tell him otherwise.

Lowemon nodded and grumbled the affirmation, "I'm going to be stuck with this...thi_ng."  
_  
"Hey," Duskmon turned around and glared at his companion, "I'm a digimon, too!"

"FOOL!"

"WEAK!

"Be quiet!"

"Shut up!"

"Why you...what should I do to you?"

"WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP AND HIDE?" Kouichi screamed frantically, hearing approaching footsteps. Duskmon and Lowemon turned their heads to the door, freezing immediately. Kako walked in and looked around. "Uh, Kako...hi. What'd they say?" asked the boy, a forced smile on his face as he laughed nervously.

Kako's eyes lingered on the area that Duskmon and Lowemon occupied for a split second before she turned to Kouichi. "You're free," she stated. "And...uh...Kouichi?"

"Hm?"

"Why...you...who...never mind."

"Uh...okay. And...uh...Kako?" At this point, Kouichi could have sworn that he heard Duskmon snort. There was a slight move that was made by Lowemon, and another noise emitted from Duskmon.

"Yeah?" Kako replied, her eyes glued to Kouichi.

"Where's Kouji?"

Kako looked down, suddenly blushing. Once more, a snort from Duskmon, and then Lowemon moving to elbow him. "I...don't really know. He just ran off after we got you back in the room."

"Oh, okay...thanks," he murmured gratefully, getting out of bed. "Are you going home?" When she nodded, he asked, "Want me to walk with you? I don't really think-"

"It's okay," she interrupted, turning away from him. "I'll be fine."

Frowning, Kouichi nodded. "If you say so."

"I do."

"Okay."

"Aren't you leaving yet?"

I g_ive up, K_ouichi thought, heading towards the door. "Um...so...see you tomorrow."

"Yeah..."

Looking at Kako one last time, Kouichi sighed and walked out of the room. Kako then turned to Duskmon and Lowemon, a frown apparent. "You two...shouldn't be here."

"This is our business, kid," Duskmon growled, stepping forward, blade out.

Lowemon held a hand out in front of the other digimon. Then, kneeling, he murmured, "Please excuse us, lady, but it is important that we are here. It may not be understood now, but later, things will be made clear."

Duskmon snorted, "Lady? She's just a kid!"

"Duskmon, would you stop being so blind?"

"I have more eyes than you do. There is no _wa_y I can be blind."

"Look at her again."

"I told you, all those so called revered spirits you fools seem to consider so holy and serve...they don't matter to me!"

"Dus_kmon," _Lowemon growled, shooting an angry glance in his companion's direction. "Show some res_pect."  
_  
"I don't care," Duskmon grumbled, kneeling grudgingly. "Just because...she's...you know we need to follow him."

"It can wait."

"Some warrior you are."

Lowemon snorted. "It never occ_urred to_ me that you had a hea_rt."  
_  
Standing up, Duskmon lifted an arm, allowing the blade to appear. "It's simple loyalty. You're loyal to...herI can only be loyal to those I consider worthy enough."

Kako narrowed her eyes angrily. "Big words for a big coward. You're pathetic. Kouichi doesn't need you two to watch him." A second later, she stepped back, gasping as cool metal brushed against her neck. "Y-what are you doing?" she babbled frantically, squealing slightly as soon as she realized Duskmon was behind her. "I'm gonna tell-"

"Shut up. I'm going to do something I should have done a lon_g ti_me ago. The only person Kouichi doesn't need is you_. Y_ou and that worthless brother of his, but brothers will be brothers. I'm amazed he still speaks to you after all you put him through, girl," spat the warrior of corrupted Darkness. "This is why I refuse to show any loyalty to goody-two-shoes-stuck-ups like you! This is why you don't deserve anything you're getting."

Shutting her eyes, Kako drew a ragged breath and countered, "I know. I also know what I'm doing. If you two stick around Kouichi, he'll be confident he can beat Kanaye. Well he can't! How many people did it take to beat Dynasmon, huh, Duskmon? Several times, but two people. Just because there's two of you and Kouichi-"

"Do you really lack faith in his skills? All the time I possessed him, he took my skills into mind, learned them, then tried defeating me by using them against me. You think he can't beat a scrawny twerp? Just wait and see, girl. Just wait and see..."

As Duskmon disappeared into the shadows, Lowemon glared at Kako, rising to his feet. "He is right, my lady. As wise as your choice may be, Kouichi possesses great skill that is not to be taken lightly. Were he to reach his full potential, he would surpass even the great swords masters themselves. I must agree with Duskmon. Kouichi awaits," Lowemon said briskly, bowing quickly before going after Duskmon.

Kako's face contorted in anger as she raced to catch up with Kouichi. His plan had fully sunken into her head. Dam_n him, she_ swore, pushing through the heavy crowd at the front, he _tricked me!_

---------------------------------------------

Kouichi took a deep breath of fresh air, inhaling several times and closing his eyes as he adjusted to the sudden change from the stuffy environment of the hospital to the crisp clean air. "They're still not here," he murmured to himself, eyes still shut. Wha_t's up?_

"Kouichi? What...? Are...you okay?"

Opening his eyes, Kouichi whirled around to come face to face with Naoko. "Uh...N-Naoko! Hi...what are you doing...here?" he asked awkwardly, pretending to be interested with his feet.

Naoko shrugged and replied casually, "I was going for a walk. What happened to your arm?"

Kouichi looked up, a blank expression on his face. When Naoko pointed to the long tear in the sleeve of his shirt and jacket, the boy sighed and muttered, "It got hurt."

"I can see that. But...whatever. I actually need to ask you something."

I'm_ going to regret this, hi_s head sang as he let out a small groan. "Okay...shoot."

"Well...there's the Valentine's Day dance..."

"So?"

"I want you to take me. It won't be a date, but...just...make it seem like it? I need to see...someone's...well, two people's reactions," she murmured while blushing in embarrassment.

"Yeah? Whose?" Kouichi asked curiously.

"Um...K-Kanaye's...and...Kako's."

"Why Kanaye's?" he suddenly snapped, seizing Naoko by the shoulders. "Don't tell me you like that...him_." _As Naoko shut her eyes and nodded, Kouichi let her go and murmured softly, "Naoko, there are nicer people. Kanaye's not going to care the slightest for you or anyone else, you know, right?"

Naoko bit her lip and nodded. "But..."

"Just...be careful if you do _ch_oose to get involved with him," Kouichi warned her, "I don't trust him."

Nodding again, Naoko suddenly threw her arms around Kouichi, thanking him before promising, "You won't regret this the slightest bit, I swear. And I promise to be careful." After seeing Kouichi nod, she smiled, waved, then ran off.

Then once more, Kouichi sighed. Whe_re are those two? I_mpatiently, he exhaled sharply and turned around in time to see a blur move from shadow to shadow, approaching him at a slow, yet careful pace. Dus_kmon, he_ thought somewhat fondly, walking into the shadow. "What held you up?"

"Nothing," came the gruff reply. "Lowemon will be over once he's done being Mr. Chivalrous. Are you going to Saito's?"

Kouichi affirmed Duskmon's guess as he whispered, "Yeah. It's pretty crucial I start immediately. But...that all depends on if I have time to go. I have something else to do first."

"Don't tell me..."

"Yeah."

"You're a fool."

"I hav_e to_, Duskmon. She can't know."

Growling, Duskmon snapped, "After all she and your idiot brother have put you through, she doesn't deserve it, and you know it!"

With a shrug, Kouichi retorted, "So would you have let Kanaye get his way?" Getting no response from the digimon by his side, Kouichi began to walk and murmured, "I thought so."

"She still doesn't deserve it."

Stopping, Kouichi shot Duskmon a glare. "Think of it thi_s wa_y; you don't want Kanaye to be happy. Kako not doing any of her stupid 'chores,'" seethed the boy, "will only annoy him more. Besides...I owe her a favor."

"What?" Duskmon was shocked. "Why?"

As he began to walk once more, Kouichi sighed and explained, "It's...from the end of fourth grade. She...helped me with a few things."

"Like?"

"None of your business!" he snapped, breaking into a run. Jus_t leave me alone. I have to do this, th_ought Kouichi, determination flashing in his eyes. I h_ave to._

---------------------------------------------

Kouji paced around aimlessly in the park, staring at the sky. "Takuya's not picking up his cell, Kouichi's in the hospital, Junpei's busy with a project, and Tomoki's brother's back home for a week...they're all gone. And I'm an idiot. God, I feel stupid. Kako must hate me," he ranted to himself, bitterly. "Why the hell do I have to be so damn stupid? And the song...I thought I didn't give it to him. But it's like...it went to him...on its own..."

With a sigh, Kouji dug into his pocket, producing a key. "Maybe...I'm just...home sick." Quietly pocketing the key, Kouji headed straight to his father's house, praying he wouldn't see anyone he knew. For at the moment, he didn't feel very social.

Only a few steps within distance of the front door, Kouji whirled around, eyes searching for something. Finding nothing, Kouji strode up to the door, unlocked it, and pushed it open, breathless for some unknown reason.

_What now_? That was what seemed to echo throughout his head. Yet, for some unknown reason, he knew exactly where to go first.

----------------------------------------------

"Damn, this place feels like one of those haunted houses," Kouji shivered, stepping into his room and opening the windows. Dust flew everywhere, visible as the light flooded in. Smiling, the bandana boy removed his bandana and draped it over the picture of Kouichi, his mother and himself. "New bandana time. Maybe I ought to use the one with banana people all over it...nah," Chuckling, Kouji opened his closet, pulling out all his boxes of bandanas.

_Kouji..._

Looking around, Kouji frowned. "What the hell?" he muttered. "Okay, well," the bandana boy shrugged and turned back to his bandanas with a sigh, "which one first?" He looked at the box in front of him fondly, then dropped to his knees and carefully opened the box.

For a second, all was quiet.

Just as Kouji reached into the box, however, a bright column of light shot out of the box, breaking through his window and disappearing into the distance. Kouji tumbled back, barely stopping before he hit his bed.

"God...damn it," he hissed, scared out of his wits as he shakily rose to his feet. Walking over to the window and examining it, Kouji's eyes widened in surprise as he jumped back. The window was flawless as if nothing had ever gone through it. He yelped, "What? I-It-there was a crash...wasn't there?" After several seconds of staring, Kouji gave up and went back to his bandanas.

-----------------------------------------------

"Guh..."

"Kouichi! Wake up! It's 6:45!"

Kouichi sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. He groaned, "45? Wh...you're kidding, right?"

Opening the door, Kouji tossed a piece of toast at his brother, hitting the older twin's forehead. "No, now get going! I have to plan the-hey, you weren't supposed to get out of the-oh, never mind! HURRY UP!" Kouji snapped. He shut the door and ran off.

After quickly changing, organizing his backpack and making sure all his homework was done in a matter of ten minutes, Kouichi slipped on his shoes then ran outside where Kouji waited.

However, there was one difference.

"Takuya!" Kouichi shouted in surprise. A pained expression appeared on Takuya's face as he turned to Kouichi. "What...are you...?"

Takuya silently tossed his goggles over to Kouichi. Then, glaring at the younger twin, he hit Kouji in the jaw, then silently walked off.

Kouichi chuckled lightly as he watched Kouji writhe in pain. _Duskmon's rubbing off on me,_ he thought, walking up to Kouji. When his twin shot him a look, he simply said, "Well, let's get going."

"Wh-what? No remorse? Nothing?" Kouji cried. Kouichi said nothing and kept walking. _Damn him_, Kouji whimpered in his head, _Takuya did that on purpose._

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A/N-

...it's short. Well, shorter than other ones. Forgive me. So...improvement from the last chapter? Oh, I was looking over previous chapters when I realized I made several absolutely stupid errors that...will...:grins sheepishly:. be corrected! I have a reason for everything I do, I swear. As a fellow writer, and all of you are writers, professional or not, you have to understand the reader pretty much knows nothing unless they guess correctly.

Yeah, so that's what a fellow fanfic writer (who is a friend of mine) and I were talking about Tuesday after school. So, before I forget, I hope you all have a very happy TURKEY DAY! And if you find any good Digimon music sites, that would be a great Xmas present. XP I'm at sixty something songs with a lot of help from a friend. Not having DSL stinks.

I promise, no more sucky chapters from now on!

Review or Flame.


	27. Dark Secrets

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon. I own this really cool bracelet though! It's magnetic and...I can make it a necklace!

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Dark Secrets (To Be Discovered)

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Kouichi walked out of the classroom, making a point to ignore and avoid everyone and everything. After all, he only had fifteen minutes to discuss matters with Lowemon and Duskmon.

Turning the corner, he found himself alone in a field. Kouichi drew a breath and called out sharply, "Duskmon, Lowemon."

The two digimon appeared, both kneeling before they rose to their feet. Before Duskmon could say anything, Lowemon bashed him in the jaw. "Yes, Kouichi?"

"...would you two stop trying to _murder_ each other?" the boy requested, exasperated with their behavior.

Duskmon muttered something, but ended up getting bashed in the jaw again. Lowemon answered instead, "If you insist, but if this..._thing_..."

Angrily, Duskmon whacked Lowemon. "_I'm a digimon, too!_ How many times do we need to go over this?" he growled.

"Forever. Now, what is it, Kouichi?"

Kouichi stared at his watch. "I have thirteen minutes to talk to you and head back to class. So I suggest you be quiet and listen. So...it's about the..." looking around, the boy whispered, "you know, the..."

"Yeah, yeah...what about it?" muttered Duskmon rudely. _I'm not in a good mood,_ he thought. _Then again...when am I ever_?

Sighing, Kouichi managed a weak smile. "Uh...how...exactly do you two expect me to lug it around everywhere?"

Lowemon shut his eyes. "I believe S-er, Mr. Saito," he corrected hastily, "not Saito...Duskmon...I'm going to have to whack you for that. Anyway, Mr. Saito should tell you."

When no more was said, Duskmon asked, "Is that it?" Kouichi nodded. "Then get back to class. Torture that brother of yours for me."

"Oh, I almost forgot, thanks," Kouichi replied with a grin. "The pre-calc books are in my locker. I won't be able to make a bet with Kanaye, but Kouji'll be a great target!"

Duskmon broke into a faint smile as Kouichi walked off. Lowemon shot a look at his companion, then smiled slyly. "You really _are_ changing..." the warrior of darkness chuckled.

The smile disappeared as if it had never been there. Annoyed with Lowemon's observation, Duskmon turned around and headed to the nearest shadow, muttering, "Be quiet. You don't know what you're talking about. Just because I approve of _one_ human..."

"AHA! You admit it!"

"Hush, fool!"

"You're the fool, here, Duskmon."

"Lowemon, if it didn't hurt me in any way to hurt you..."

"Likewise, Duskmon. Likewise."

"What now?"

Lowemon merely shrugged. "We wait until he summons us next."

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"Okay, well, class, guess what?" Ms. Kawai said, as unenthusiastic as possible. "Mr. Ogata's back. I hear the cheers. Well, I saved you from the Shakespearean unit, and now you guys have Gym with your...oh, _so_ favorite teacher. Behave."

Kouichi smiled slightly as Ms. Kawai directed her last word mostly at him with a look. He nodded slightly and felt a smirk tug at his lips as Mr. Ogata entered the room.

"So, class, I did have a great time on vacation. How were you?" Mr. Ogata asked cheerfully. The class mumbled silently to themselves. "Ah...I see...so how was your Shakespearean unit?"

At this point, Ms. Kawai left the room and Kako muttered, "We didn't have it. We skipped it and did something more interesting."

Mr. Ogata was surprised. Startled, he questioned, "What?"

"Napoleon debate," Kouichi answered, smoothly, putting on an innocent face. Mr. Ogata directed a glare in his direction, one that lasted for a mere second before he told them to dress up for P.E.

Oh, Kouichi just couldn't wait.

---------------------------------------------

"Time to make his life miserable," Kouichi muttered. Slipping on his gym clothes, he sighed and shut his eyes, picturing JagerLowemon. _Ogata's...and Kanaye's...both of them will regret everything._

Kouichi walked outside, turning around just as Kouji attempted to scare him. "Kou-?"

"B-AAAAAHHHH!" Kouji yelped, barely stopping himself in time before he crashed into his older twin. Kouichi merely stood there, staring as his brother fell backwards. "Oof...ow...Kouichi, can't you stop being a kill joy and let me have some fun?" whined the younger of the two.

"Hmm...let me think...no."

"Gah, evil."

Kouichi broke into a grin. "Only if it's to torture you."

"H-hey...what's with the new attitude?" Kouji suddenly accused.

Suddenly turning away from his brother and staring at the sky, Kouichi headed off to join the rest of the class, not wanting to think about Kouji's question.

"Hey! Get back here!"

Kouichi broke into a run, ignoring his pursuing brother. _Gah, questions...questions. When did _he_ get a curious mind, anyway? Or has he been reading too much 'Curious George?'_ Kouichi skidded to a stop, then looked behind him, sighing in relief when there was no sign of Kouji.

"Yeah...I heard, too..."

"I know, isn't it weird?"

"You think those two would go out."

"No, but I heard Naoko's going with him to the dance!"

"You mean he's actually going to the dance?"

"Oh my god!" one girl squealed. "I have to go!"

Kouichi turned back front, seeing a group of girls in front of him. Very stiffly, he turned around again, slowly heading back to find his brother. In the case of question or girls, he would choose any question...

As long as it wasn't from a girl.

"Hey, Kouichi!"

Kouichi froze in place and slowly turned his head, wincing. "Y-yeah...?"

"So, are you _really_ going to the dance?" the girl asked eagerly.

Fighting the urge to whimper, Kouichi nodded. _Both Duskmon and Lowemon would laugh at me for being scared of a couple of girls..._

A few more girls ran towards him, all babbling about things he couldn't understand. Kouichi didn't know how he managed, but he eventually found a way around them and ran over to Izumi, breathing hard. "Exactly _where_ are the rest of the boys?"

Izumi stared at the ground in front of her quietly. "I...think they're with Kanaye. Oh, Kouichi, I don't want to go!" she exclaimed, looking up at him.

"What?"

"I don't want to go to the dance! I...I wanted to be with Takuya...but that...that _thing_..."

Kouichi chuckled, murmuring, "You sound a lot like Lowemon..."

A look of surprise overcame Izumi. "What? Lowemon! What are you talking about?"

That was when Kouichi realized his mistake. Turning pale, he swallowed, looked around and murmured, "Duskmon and Lowemon are here. Along with their beast spirit forms..."

"Why?"

"I don't know...but apparently...I'm missing...part of my fractal code."

"Kouichi! How...is that possible?" Izumi wondered, looking at the sky.

The boy shrugged. "I guess it just is. But it does seem strange to be perfectly normal with a half complete fractal code, now that you mention it."

"Hey, Izumi!" Kako yelled, racing over. "Have...you seen the rest of the boys?"

"Nope. Why?" asked her cousin.

"Uhh...oh. Oh...OH! I bet it's Kanaye again," muttered the younger girl, suddenly irked. "He's probably betting something..."

Izumi turned around, her eyes searching for any sign of the rest of the class. They narrowed as soon as Kanaye appeared, her face scrunching up in disgust. "Well," she finally said, pushing Kouichi forward, "it's up to you, Kouichi." Under her breath, she added, "Just pray Duskmon's feeling on your side."

Kouichi shot her a confused look before calmly meeting Kanaye's eyes. "Huh. The murderer. What do you know," he commented.

Kouji ran forward and muttered something in his brother's ear. "And I'm gonna make major money!" he added after.

Suddenly irked, Kouichi turned around. "Forget it. That's stupid."

Kanaye laughed. "Afraid?" he sneered.

Kouichi turned around, glaring murderously into Kanaye's eyes. "You want competition? You asked for it the moment you decided to mess with certain people's lives. Let's see how fair you can play."

"Fair? Fair's for girls."

"HEY!" Kako yelled, glaring at Kanaye.

Kanaye walked around Kouichi, then looked down at Kako. "Well, you'd have to agree, wouldn't you? That _is_ why you failed."

Kako felt her blood boil as Kanaye lifted her chin with a hand. Smoothly, she pushed his hand away and merely glared at him in the eye. "Even the smallest hint of a wrong move towards my cousin, and I _will_ tear you to pieces."

Laughing, Kanaye leaned forward and murmured something in her ear, causing the girl to turn white. "It's strange, isn't it? So...Izumi. I trust you'll be as beautiful as ever?"

Izumi said nothing, but merely turned away, folding her arms. Kouji suddenly frowned, turning around and seeing the rest of the boys walk over. "Huh...hey, Kanaye. Exactly _how_ many idiots work under you?"

"Why, most of the boys in our class. Why do you ask?" Kanaye questioned in turn, spinning Izumi around and grabbing her arms so she wouldn't move.

"Let her go, Kanaye," Kouichi growled.

Kanaye turned his head around and replied, "Would you like to have a replay of Saturday's incident? No? Then I suggest you shush." Turning back to Izumi, he leaned forward, kissing her.

Izumi's eyes widened as she tried to raise her hands to fight him off, but found it impossible. Her eyes searched for help, looking at Kako who was ready to strike. As soon as Kanaye pulled away, she shouted for Kako to stop, but found it too late.

Whirling around, Kanaye grabbed Kako's foot just as she kicked, yanking it up and causing the girl to fall back. Kouji barely caught her in time to stop her head from hitting the ground. "Very nice kick, Kako. I can see why my uncle thinks so highly of you. But there is no way you'll be able to hit me."

"Are you so sure?" Kouichi asked, his tone dangerously low.

"You'd have to be one of a few people to hit me. And since none of them go to this sch-"

Kouichi grabbed Kanaye by his collar just as Mr. Ogata walked over. The teacher blew his whistle, and Kouichi winced. "Kimura!" Mr. Ogata yelled furiously. "Violence is prohibited. If I catch you again..."

"AND YOU WON'T!" Kouji yelled back.

"Be quiet, Minamoto! Kako...Izumi, are you alright?" Mr. Ogata asked, looking at Kako, who was still shaking from the fall.

Nodding, Kako whispered, "I...I'm fine." Izumi, on the other hand, remained quiet.

"Good. Now, today...we'll be doing fitness testing. Meaning you'll be running a mile, doing sit ups, push ups...all those great things. So! Let's start off with sit ups!"

-----------------------------------------------------

"Ahahah! Those were easy!" Kako laughed, stretching her arms in the air. Kouji walked besides her, smiling slightly. "I _still_ can't believe you didn't do all your sit ups, Kouji..."

Kouji chuckled slightly, then murmured, "Well...I was kind of worried..."

"Hm? About what?"

"Well, you, for one. You could have broken your head. It's like he was sure I'd catch you..." Kouji stopped in place and looked at the ground quietly.

Kako fell quiet as she, too, stopped, then sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, well thanks. I'd be a mess if you hadn't."

"And Kouichi...seemed to know, too."

At the mention of Kouichi, Kako pushed off of Kouji. "He's...going to be in a lot of trouble."

Kouji shrugged. "Competition. It's not dangerous. Not like they have swords or anything."

Kako shivered and murmured, "But that's what worries me. Kouichi was mentioning something about swords yesterday in his sleep at the hospital. And...I told him not to make _any_ bets with Kanaye...but..."

Silence befell the two.

"How...how's Izumi?" Kouji then asked, catching a glimpse of Izumi leaning against the wall, alone. "I don't think we should leave her alone like that..."

The girl nodded. "Being without Takuya's really killing her. She was really looking forward to dancing with him. I mean, because before they were just going as friends...and...now she's all depressed because...c-can we just go talk to her? After the incident with Kanaye today, I don't think it's a really good idea to leave her alone."

Kouji nodded in agreement, and the two headed over to Izumi. "Hey...Izumi..."

Izumi looked up, a small, but tired smile on her face. "Hey, what's up? So...did you two know Kouichi's going to the dance with Naoko?"

"WHAT?" Kako exclaimed.

Her cousin shrugged. In a small voice, she whispered, "That's what I've been hearing."

Once again, there was a silence until Kouichi and Kanaye came out, glaring at each other. Kouji winced. He could almost feel the competitive sparks flying. "Hey, Kouichi," he called out, "what'd you get!"

"Eighty," the two boys answered, Kanaye's answer more smug than Kouichi's fierce one.

"How many did you do," Kako asked her cousin.

Laughing nervously, Izumi replied, "Seventy-seven. You?"

"Seventy-nine. Kouji got one less than I did."

"IT'S NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL! It's just eighty. You were all five within the eighty range, anyway. Sheesh," Kouichi muttered, leaning against the wall and watching Kanaye talk to his companions. "Are they even his friends?"

"No." Kouichi turned to his twin, who put on a serious face. "If you look at it, most of them look brain-washed. I'd say they're either really amazed by his skill, or got stuck in following him, like Takuya," the younger of the two boys murmured.

A sigh escaped Kouichi's lips, "Thought so."

Unable to bear the silence, Izumi declared, "Well it doesn't matter, because Kouichi can stop him!" As the other three looked at her in surprise, she asked, a bit more unsure and meek, "Right, Kouichi?"

Silence, once more, dominated the group. He shut his eyes and nodded. "Yeah," agreed Kouichi, "I'll beat him. No matter how long it takes."

"Great! So push ups are next!" Kako laughed. Kouji paled and Kouichi coughed. This made Kako twitch. "You _can_ beat him in push ups, _right_?" she growled.

The older boy swallowed and replied, "I'll do my best."

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"Gahhh...my arms," Kako wailed. Izumi whimpered, but said nothing as the two girls watched the twins and Kanaye continue their push-ups. "When are they going to stop."

Mr. Ogata watched the three boys, then shot a glance at the tape recorder. "Well," he said, as they finished their very last push up, "the tape is out. You're all done."

The two girls exchanged glances before staring at the boys. "They...they're nuts, right, Kako?" Izumi asked.

"Oh...sorry," Takuya muttered as he bumped into Izumi.

Izumi's eyes brightened at the sound of his voice, but quickly faded when she realized he didn't notice her. "I'm never going to get him back."

Kako grumbled as the twins both glared at Kanaye, Kouji sticking his tongue out childishly before she replied, "You will. Or I'll just murder Kanaye in his sleep."

"Kako..."

Laughing, Kako said, "Just don't worry! We'll get him back if it's the last thing we do!"

Her face showed her surprise before slowly melting into a smile. Standing up, Izumi walked over to the twins and congratulated them on their push-ups. In the mean time, Kako sat down against the wall, pondering what her cousin had mentioned earlier.

'_So...did you two know Kouichi's going to the dance with Naoko?_' Izumi had said.

He was going to the dance.

And with Naoko.

"Hey, Kako!"

Kako winced and looked up, forcing a smile. "Hey...Naoko...so, you're really going to the dance with Kouichi?"

Naoko smiled back and nodded, sitting beside Kako. "Um," she murmured, "you...aren't mad, right?"

"Mad? Why would I be?"

"Kako, stop it...everyone _knows_ you liked Kouichi."

"I'm going out with Kouji."

"It's a lie."

"No it isn't."

"Others may not be able to tell," Naoko told her, "but it doesn't really fool me. You still love him."

Kako shifted uncomfortably. "I...I don't..."

The other girl snorted, "Keep telling yourself that. But it won't come true."

"Mile time!" Mr. Ogata shouted, ordering the class to head out to the track.

Naoko continued, "Please, tell me the truth, Kako. I want to know!"

Squeezing her eyes shut as she took her place, Kako kept silent.

"Kako!"

"And...ready...set...GO!"

Kako ran off, leaving Naoko behind. Every ache in her muscle told her to run faster.

But that was all she was doing so far.

Running.

She hated it. She didn't want to run away, anymore. She wanted to fly.

_What would it take,_ Kako thought in despair, _to just leap up and fly off with invisible wings? Why is it that we _don't_ have wings? Why can't they be invisible instead of broken?_

Kako shivered as she slowed down. _Keep the pace, Kako, keep it! Just...run!_

_I don't want to,_ another part of her yelled back. _No more running!_

She was slowing down again, more so than before. Kako fought the pain, pushing herself harder.

"Kako, wait up!" she heard Naoko yell.

_No_, her head whispered. "N-...no..."

Two more laps...

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"Five fifty-two!" Mr. Ogata yelled as Kouichi and Kanaye crossed the end line. The two were out of breath, both panting and exchanging glares.

"Tired?" sneered Kanaye.

Breathing heavily, Kouichi returned, "No. But it seems _you_ are."

Indeed, Kanaye's breath was the same as Kouichi's, heavy and labored. "N-no. You're hearing your own breath, fool."

"The only fool here is you." Saying that, Kouichi weakly headed off, head pounding, to find refuge in the shade. His feet nearly buckled under him as he slid against a nearby wall and onto the floor. _D-Duskmon...Lowemon...how the digimon did I run that fast...?_ Nevertheless, Kouichi shivered with joy. He was evenly matched with Kanaye in everything so far. There was _no_ way Kanaye would win. If need be, Kouichi would simply get stronger. _What do they say? Rise to the call? Guess that's what it was,_ Kouichi thought, chuckling.

"Seven fifty-seven! Eight minutes!" yelled Mr. Ogata.

Kako stumbled over weakly, nearly collapsing as she slid down by Kouichi. Her eyes slid shut as she tilted towards Kouichi, her head falling onto his shoulder. Kouichi nearly jumped in surprise, but looked at her, suddenly worried.

"There's something called stamina," he muttered, adjusting himself so Kako would be comfortable, "and you of all people should know that, especially when it comes to Chocobos or racing." Shutting his own eyes, Kouichi yawned and allowed sleep to overcome him. Three minutes was long enough.

--------------------------------------

"Kimura. KIMURA!"

Kouichi opened his eyes groggily, yawning and looking up at Mr. Ogata. "Oh...five...five fifty-two. Yeah. Do we get to go in, now?"

"Yes, but apparently Ms. Sakai has lost consciousness."

Kouichi froze. "You mean..."

"Yes. She's unconscious."

Groaning, Kouichi stood up carefully so as Kako wouldn't fall and have her head hit the ground and asked, "So...what do I do?"

"Nothing. You go and get changed. It's lunch."

"Oh...right..." _WHERE THE DIGIMON IS KOUJI?_ Kouichi's head yelled as his face heated up. _So much for a three-minute nap..._

After getting changed, Kouichi went in search of his brother, but found no sign of anyone he knew but Kanaye and Takuya. But, not wanting to jeopardize Takuya's life in any possible way, Kouichi steered clear of his friend, and instead headed to where he had talked to Duskmon and Lowemon earlier that day.

"You two...come out..." Kouichi called, leaning against the wall and placing his backpack down. Only Lowemon appeared, however. Kouichi frowned. "Where's Duskmon?"

"Said he had business, but _someone_ had to answer you, and he wouldn't do it. So I'll congratulate you for him," Lowemon said smoothly.

Kouichi chuckled slightly, resting against his backpack. "Oh...I almost forgot. There was a note in Takuya's goggles," he murmured, opening his backpack and taking out the goggles. As soon as he got the goggles out, he frowned.

Lowemon frowned as well, noticing the look on the boy's face. "What is it?"

Shivering, Kouichi reached into his backpack once more. "Something...else is in there..." he murmured, rummaging through his backpack. His hand brushed against the object, then grabbed it. Pulling it out, Kouichi nearly died from shock.

"Well, at least you can scan your fractal code if you find it," Lowemon murmured in shock.

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A/N-

.:shivers:. I AM COLD! But this chapter was semi fun to write. It's a major filler, and it makes no sense, but hey, Kanaye and Kouichi had to have a competition in _some_ sort of way. And...well, P.E.'s just a civilized way. So, what happened to Kako? Next chapter! What did Kouichi find! As obvious as it is, next chapter! The note in the goggles? Next chapter! A lot of things? NEXT CHAPTER!

Did you enjoy it? I hope so. Well, for your amusement, I shall add here that I have a syndrome! It's a mighty funny one, too. No, seriously, there's a syndrome for cold hands! No _wonder_ I don't worry during the summer...XP I tried steaming it, and in the end, it turned cold. My sister told me about it. I was thoroughly amused.

But my brother has warm hands! GAH!

Well, the only bad thing about cold hands is when you're on a cold table and your entire arm freezes and you can't type. But since the table isn't cold, I'm good! How was your Turkey day-er, I mean, Thanksgiving?

Review or Flame.


	28. With D:Tector In Hand

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

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With D-Tector In Hand...(Nothing Changes)

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"How...the...heck did my D-Tector...get in my backpack?" Kouichi stuttered, hand shaking visibly.

Shocked, but nevertheless happy, Lowemon whispered, "It's as if Lady Ophanimon..."

A frown appeared on his face as Kouichi looked up. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Ophanimon is...she sent you here?" questioned the boy. Lowemon bowed his head quietly. Kouichi let out a nervous laugh, one which soon grew loud and clear, filled with relief. As he looked upon Kouichi, Lowemon smiled and shut his eyes. Finally, Kouichi's laughter died and he asked, "So, th-then...am I the only one with digimon in the real world?"

Lowemon nodded and murmured, "Ophanimon decided it would be too risky to send us all at once. You were the one with most trouble on your hands, so we were sent first."

"B-But why Duskmon, too?"

"I don't know. Everyone thought him gone, considering I appeared after he was cleansed, but he requested to come along...and torment me." Lowemon muttered the last part to himself somewhat bitterly.

Kouichi held back a laugh. "Then...would Takuya get his D-Tector next?"

"Alas...I doubt it, Kouichi. He's in more trouble than any of you. I suppose Izumi would come next. Or Junpei, considering all the trouble _he's_ getting into."

"Junpei's getting into trouble?"

"Yes. It seems he's gotten involved in some little scam created by his so-called friends. Duskmon warned him, but seeing as you're the only one who knows Duskmon has had a change of heart...the poor boy screamed his heart out and started for the nearest thing he could make a weapon."

Again, the boy held back a laugh. Drawing a breath, he murmured, "So, then...the rest will eventually come to the...the real world?" Lowemon nodded. "And...I shouldn't tell anyone, huh?" Lowemon shook his head. Kouichi winced. "I kind of...spilled to Izumi."

Lowemon snorted. "Don't worry about it too much. And now, the note. I believe Takuya would want you to read it, not forget about it," he reminded Kouichi.

Laughing nervously at his mistake, Kouichi nodded, placed the D-Tector back in his bag, then picked up the goggles, taking out the note. He read, "Um...let's see...'Kouichi...' blah, blah, blah, 'Agunimon back...' Okay, Lowemon, you read it. My brain has died from running."

With a sigh, Lowemon obliged, "'Kouichi, if you get this note, make sure no one else reads. Obviously, Izumi must've told you my predicament-' I never knew Takuya had such an expanded vocabulary," the digimon mused.

"Shut up and read," Kouichi growled, throwing the goggles against the digimon.

Biting back his smart retort, Lowemon continued as Kouichi pocketed the goggles, "'But yes, I'm in trouble. So I'm not allowed to talk to you, and to make this as inconspicuous as possible, I'm punching Kouji. You'll understand why after your birthday, I promise. I'll get free from this stupid bet by then. Agunimon...I almost forgot. Yeah, he's back. Weird, huh? But apparently Duskmon and Lowemon are back, he told me. You knew all this time, sly guy, aren't you? Unfortunately, someone else (one of those ridiculous bad guy wanna-bes) seems to have some link with the Digital World, so I'm going to have to leave Agunimon in your care (keep him _far_ away from Duskmon). He told me to tell you to put on the goggles in order to see him. Do that, will you?'"

Kouichi frowned and took out the goggles once more. "Why do I have to put on the goggles?"

"Because," Lowemon explained, "you only experienced the Digital World _spiritually_, while your _physical_ form didn't. Thus you wouldn't be able to see any digimon other than us, unless they revealed themselves to the entire world. But that wouldn't be safe, seeing as L-" Lowemon flinched. Clearing his throat, he said with a calm and steady tone, "It wouldn't be safe."

"Seeing as Lucemon's in the real world?" Kouichi guessed the finish.

Lowemon said nothing. Instead, he gestured to the goggles. "Put them on, will you?"

Kouichi looked at the goggles, wincing as he raised them to his eyes. "Does he wash these?" he whimpered. He slipped them on. Blinking several times, he found that the lenses were quite clear, something that amazed him. "So...where's Agunimon?"

"Not here."

"WHAT? Then why do I have to put these on?" Kouichi cried, practically tearing the goggles off. He threw them to the side, then wiped his eyes. "They're all sweaty."

Lowemon chuckled. "You don't have to put them down in order to see Agunimon. Simply having it in hand will show you him."

"Now you tell me," Kouichi muttered under his breath, slipping the goggles over his head so the rested around his neck. "So where's Duskmon?"

"I told you, I don't know."

Kouichi let out an impatient sigh, "Well, that's just great. No Duskmon, no A-what the-" Looking up, Kouichi found Lowemon gone, and Kanaye in front of him, sneering.

"So, the proletariat's missing a few friends?"

Kouichi stood up, yanking up his backpack as well and zipping it shut in one smooth movement. "Get lost, Kanaye. Some of us take a break from being snobby know-it-all's."

This surprised the other boy. "So you admit it?"

"Admit _what_?" snapped a now-moody Kouichi. "Go trample someone _else's_ parade. Try someone who actually has one."

"What, like Kako?"

"No...try Kouji. He could use a little less carefree attitude." There was a pause. Suddenly a smirk found its way onto Kouichi's face as he slyly included, "And how am I the proletariat if I've got my own little place away from the world? It would be more like I was the rich one and you were the proletariat, having to go around and beg everywhere. Only difference, I work, you don't."

Saying so, Kouichi walked off, backpack slung on his shoulder. He shivered, not from the cold but from the sheer joy of actually triumphing over Kanaye in something.

He could _definitely_ get used to this.

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"Alright...since Ms. Kawai kindly decided to change your Literature unit, we'll just have to hope you have _some_ poetry skill in you. Today," announced Mr. Ogata, his hands slamming on the desk, "you will be writing a poem. Your theme is simply the word, 'dark.' I'm giving you fifteen minutes, then collecting this."

_Dark?_ Kouichi frowned. _What is this, _he thought_, some kind of sick joke?_ Nevertheless, he got out a paper and began to think.

It wasn't until a minute later he realized Kako still wasn't back from the nurse's office. Worried and clueless on what to write, Kouichi let out a sigh. He didn't know how, but he resisted the urge to crumple the paper and throw it at Mr. Ogata.

_Dark...what did Patamon say about the darkness? We make it what it is...it can be...good or bad? It's not always bad,_ Kouichi shut his eyes as he tried to recall the conversation with Patamon.

_In the dark I find my way_...

Kouichi's eyes shot open. He looked around, trying to locate the voice. Someone _was_ speaking...right? Realizing he was the only one hearing the verses, Kouichi shivered slightly, but wrote them down.

"In the dark I find my way,  
Light will never be needed,  
For in the dark all we ever need.  
Is for Hope to be heeded," Kouichi whispered this first verse to himself, shutting his eyes as the voice replayed it, making it into more of a song. _It sounds...familiar. But apparently, so does everything else these days,_ he thought, a grim look on his face as he took down more of the lines, _I'll just tweak it so it's my own words...or maybe use it for inspiration. These are way too good for Ogata to ever read._

_Don't be stupid_._ These are for you to turn in!_ the voice commanded.

Kouichi nearly jumped out of his seat. He did, however, hit his back against the chair. _Okay, okay...I'll turn it in,_ he agreed, not understanding why he was arguing with a shadow of a person who he couldn't see...a shadow only _he_ could hear.

_Very good. Now, continue_.

The light of the moon was taken from me,  
Clouds swallowed stars eagerly,  
Alone in the dark, I was cold, alone,  
Until that day I realized truth, Kouichi suddenly returned in his head. Surprised, he wrote it down, then gazed out the window. _How...did I do that?_

_It is because...well, continue, first. Talk later_.

And so Kouichi continued until he reached the final verse.

_And so the boy, alone and cold,  
Whimpered as he walked in town,  
_'_How I long for the warmth,  
But losing my light in the dark,  
I am forced into a new turf.  
The trees cover all with their heavy bark.  
Wolves howl, and a new sun rises.  
My heart is relieved of pain  
for the moon has risen in the sun's place.  
The light shines on every grain,  
But with something more at hand,  
The stars are truly precious.  
Yet with clouds in the way  
the approaching wolf seems all the more vicious.'_  
_  
So then the townsfolk smiled,  
Returned to their work, leaving the child.  
In the end, although he cried, cold, alone,  
Darkness took him and showed him warmth_.

Kouichi shuddered as he wrote the very last line on the paper in front of him. He looked around once more, trying to find the body of the voice. And once more, he was unable to locate it.

_Don't be stupid, Kouichi,_ the voice laughed.

Surprised, Kouichi looked around once more, a helpless look plastered all over his face.

_Don't be stupid,_ the voice repeated, _because I'm you. Remember that time when you were nine? We wanted to cheer up Mom! So we tried writing a poem...but it came out like this. You got angry and threw it away, because you thought...you thought that...it would make her sad. Don't you remember? You aren't mad, are you?_

Kouichi said nothing, but shut his eyes. As soon as he opened them, he shook his head slightly at the mini version in front of him and whispered quietly, (as this, he believed, was one of those moments when he was in a dream world, yet everyone was right there), "No...I'm not mad. Thanks."

The child smiled. _Kouichi...Marise. Don't ever forget that diary. It's important_, he was reminded.

"Th-the diary?"

"KIMURA!" shouted Mr. Ogata. Kouichi winced and looked up. "Hurry up and turn in your paper instead of mumbling to yourself while looking out the window!"

Kouichi's face burned as he pointed to everyone else. "They haven't passed _their_ paper in, either!" he retorted angrily.

"Be quiet. Hurry up and pass it down."

Eyes flashing, Kouichi did so. There was a small ache in his heart, however, remembering that poem. He had never imagined that anything he did as a child would help him at all. He had come to that conclusion after hours and hours of attempting to write a poem to cheer his mother up.

Yet, at the end of the year...

"So, since Mr. Kimura thinks he's all high and mighty for spacing out, we'll read _his_ poem first!" Mr. Ogata snapped before the class could erupt into conversations.

Kouichi snorted and looked out the window. "Read it if you want. Your brain couldn't understand it."

"What?"

Laughing a little, Kouichi stood up, a triumphant smile on his face. "Your brain. It wouldn't be able to take the meaning of the poem. I hope you realize, that's incredibly pathetic. Now, I realize. This class is pathetic." He slammed his hands on the desk, then slung on his backpack, his eyes coolly meeting those of Mr. Ogata.

"Uh...Kouichi," Kouji sputtered, eyes wide. _Gee, he's beating me! I'm supposed to do stupid stuff like this! _

"So, now I'm taking my poem, and I'll see if I can transfer out of this stupid class that doesn't even teach anything," continued the older twin, marching up to the front and snatching the paper out of Ogata's hands, quickly taking a look at it to make sure it was his. Suddenly twitching for some incomprehensible reason, Kouichi muttered, "The only person who would actually deserve to read this poem...in this room? Well...none of you, actually, but that's not the point. THE POINT IS YOU CAN'T TEACH AND I'M SICK OF IT!"

Quickly, he stormed out of the room, then ran towards his locker, stopping there and clutching his head. "What...the hell was I thinking?" he muttered, twitching nervously. _I need to see the nurse..._

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"Ah...Kouichi, did you faint, too?" the nurse, Erika, asked.

Kouichi laughed good-naturedly and replied, "Nah...I kinda...um...kicked myself out of class, you could say..."

"Ogata again?"

"Yeah...it all just went to my head, I guess."

Erika sighed and placed her hands on her hips, frowning at the boy in front of her. "Now listen here, Kouichi. If you ever expect to get to college-"

"I know, I know...I'm going to have to live with Ogata's bunch of...beep," Kouichi muttered. "But he was yelling at me for looking out a window and not passing up my paper...when no one else really was passing up their paper, too!"

"So you need a 'hide-out?'" she asked, her hands making air quotations.

Kouichi nodded.

"Stay here, then."

"Thanks, Erika," he murmured gratefully, bowing quickly. "And...uh...Kako..." His face suddenly burned bright red. "Yeah...is...she...okay?"

Erika nodded, hiding a smile.

"Just wore herself out," the lady replied, pointing to a room. "She's there if you want to talk to her...but I think she's out, right now."

Nodding, then swallowing, Kouichi forced himself to enter the room, his feet shuffling in order to get in. Finally, dropping his bag on the floor, he pulled up a chair by the bed, then realized he still had the poem in his hand. He scanned over it quietly, only shoving it in his backpack when Kako turned to her side and murmured something in her sleep. Kouichi chuckled.

"So even in your _sleep_ you think about chocolate. Nice, Kako, very nice," he whispered, smiling in her direction. His eyes glazed over and he leaned forward, eyes glued to her face. _Why did you wear yourself out? Why didn't you sleep on Kouji's shoulder? Why do I want an explanation so bad?_ Kouichi shook his head and pushed himself away.

He drew a sharp breath while Kako turned over again, on her back this time, one arm by her side, the other by her head. "K-...K-K...," she whispered, "please...n-no...don't go..."

Stunned, Kouichi stood up, placing a knee on the bed for support as he leaned closer to hear what she was saying.

"Mom...no, Dad...stop...n-no...it's not fair," Kako cried, turning over once more. Kouichi nearly yelped as she barely touched him and then sighed as she rolled onto her back again. "D-damn...you...K-K-...k..."

Kouichi held his breath, waiting for her to finish, but it never came. Instead, Kako fell silent once more.

It was in this silence where Kouichi's eyes glazed over once more. Not even thinking about anything else, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Kako's, softly, so as to not wake her up. Then, he sat back down in the chair, drawing up his knees, then hugging them as he thought about all that Kako had said.

_She didn't mention any names...nothing but her mom and dad. But,_ he thought, shutting his eyes and groaning, _who's 'K-...K,' then? There's ten billion people whose names start with 'K.' _

"Doesn't mean you're the one," Kouichi heard Duskmon grumble. The boy nearly yelped and fell of his chair just as Duskmon walked out of the shadows. "I'm just here to congratulate you on your burst in class."

"What are you, _stupid_? That isn't something to celebrate!" Kouichi returned hotly.

Duskmon snorted, but Kouichi could tell he wanted to laugh. Instead, the digimon said serenely, "Of course it is. Someone has to tell the guy he's stupid."

Kouichi looked away. In a grumpy tone, he muttered, "Kouji would have done a better job. I cracked last minute after I realized I was technically going to be cutting class."

At this point, Duskmon _did_ let out a laugh, "But hey, those are the fun times of life!"

"You mean cutting class, playing video games mindlessly, and computer games while staring at the computer screen endlessly? Oh, yeah, _some_ life..." growled the boy.

Kako stirred in her sleep, and the two fell quiet.

"Your poem, though...where'd you get that?" Duskmon suddenly inquired.

Kouichi just shrugged and responded, "I wrote it when I was nine. Why?"

"It's...well, it's a song," Duskmon said bluntly, and with some awkwardness, Kouichi noted. "Many digimon know it."

Another shrug. "Oh."

Silence fell between the two again. This time, Kako rolled over the other side of the bed, yelping as she hit the floor. Kouichi hid a smile, and Duskmon disappeared into the shadows, wanting to laugh at Kako, but yell at Kouichi at the same time.

_I...should've asked him where he was earlier,_ Kouichi realized as Kako stood up, rubbing her head and plopping back on the bed, her back to Kouichi until she realized his presence. Yelping again, she fell off the bed (again), and pulled herself back up, glaring at him all the while. "Hey," Kouichi greeted her casually, pulling out a notebook and pencil from his backpack.

"Why are _you_ out of class?" demanded the girl, pulling the covers around her.

Kouichi decided it wouldn't hurt to lead her somewhere else. "Oh...it's the end of school. An hour past, actually."

"WHAT? ERIKA!"

"Sheesh, keep quiet, I was joking!" Kouichi assured her, nearly dropping his notebook as he covered his ears.

Erika ran in, surprised. "What...? Oh...Kouichi, don't tell me..."

The boy told her sheepishly, "I told her it was an hour since school ended. I didn't really expect her to _believe_ me..."

Kako sniffed, pulling the covers around her tighter. "Well I did, you jerk!"

Kouichi smiled. "Well that's too bad for you, then, hm?" he replied, opening his notebook and writing something down.

"Then why are you out of class?"

"_Someone_," Erika cut in, "decided to cut class."

As Kako's jaw dropped, Kouichi flushed as he explained, "It's not _cutting_, it's...it's...standing up for the truth! Ogata can't teach, and that's a fact!"

"Y-y-you _idiot_! _How_ could you do that! Kouichi, don't you have a brain? I mean, honestly, I would've imagined Kouji, but you? That's just ridiculous!" Kako ranted, continuing despite the fact that Erika winked slyly at Kouichi, then walked out and shut the door.

Kouichi winced and covered his ears as Kako continued. _Relentless_, he thought. _She's relentless. She won't stop._ Swallowing, he leaned towards her and placed a hand over her mouth. "Shut. Up. Thank you. And he was being ridiculous. If any of my poems are going to be read, they'll be done so _anonymously_, or they'll be in Kouji's name. But since they were _neither_, I don't want it read. Besides, his brain couldn't handle it," he muttered for an explanation before removing his hand.

Kako yanked his hand, pulling him towards her. "_You_ shut up! All that for a poem?" she exclaimed.

"Not just any poem, okay? It's not what you think! Remember...that poem? The one for my mom, that you helped me on?" _The one that I promised you a favor for...?_ he thought in his own head. Kouichi drew a breath. Sighing heavily and yanking his hand away from Kako, he murmured, "Well...I was nine when I tried writing it. Well, that's the poem I started off with. But after writing it, I realized it was selfish...and...it would break her heart. I wanted a better family, but I couldn't have it, so I was selfish for writing that poem, asking for more than she could give me."

Kouichi drew a shaky breath and Kako scooted towards him. Looking around, she whispered, "Can I read it?"

He looked up at her in surprise, but nodded and brought out the poem. Kako snatched it, her eyes widening as she read every word.

After finishing, she exclaimed in a whisper, "You wrote that when you were _nine_? And _remembered_ it?"

Trying to ignore the hint of awe in her voice, he murmured back modestly, "But...I didn't really remember it. It...it sort of...came to me..."

"Wait...but it seems kinda familiar...did you ever let me read it? Because that's what it feels like..."

"No...I don't think so."

"Oh..." Kako remarked quietly. She flashed a glance at the clock on the wall above the door, then got of the bed, looking down at Kouichi. "H-hey...Kouichi?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you...um...t-tell me something?"

Kouichi nodded, but frowned as he detected the quivering in Kako's voice.

"Are you really going to the masquerade with Naoko?"

_I nearly forgot about that,_ Kouichi thought, wincing. "Uh...yeah. I almost forgot about the dance," he confessed, rubbing the back of his head with a nervous laugh.

Kako let out a small "Oh," then sat on the side of the bed, gazing at Kouichi as he picked up his pencil and began writing again. "Hey...Kouichi? Could I ask you another question?" she suddenly inquired, leaning over and trying to read the writing.

Kouichi covered the notebook and nodded, a sheepish look on his face. "Let me guess...you want to know what I'm writing?" Kako nodded. "It's a story. Hopefully, maybe when it gets published, if it ever does, you can read it." He paused, then added, "Actually...you read part of it."

"I...did?"

"Yeah...you know the Napoleon debate papers? Well...eh...I was writing on the back of one of my pages without realizing it...ehe...heh...so yeah, you did technically read part of it."

Kako's eyes widened before she turned red. _Then...all that worrying...for nothing? I am going to make him pay,_ she swore. "So, then, what was that part about?"

Letting out a nervous laugh and realizing he was in trouble, Kouichi gulped and quickly put away his notebook. "Um, well, the main character was...well...reviewing some thoughts on a friend who turned their back on her..."

"Her?" Kako nearly fell back on the bed.

"Yeah...her...why? Is it unusual?"

"Um...actually? Yes," the girl admitted, her eyes glued on Kouichi. "I mean, it's rare by itself, but coming from you? That's...even more rare."

He shrugged and looked around uncomfortably, trying to avoid Kako's gaze. _Great, so I'm uncomfortable with the fact that my brother's girlfriend is staring at me when the fact is that I kissed her minutes ago. And why did I kiss her? I...hate hormones. Despise them. They ought to die,_ he thought, wishing he could break the silence as he found his eyes glued onto Kako's. "Uh..."

"Kouichi...a...about..."

"Kouichi! YOU IDIOT!" Kouji yelled, running through the door at the same time as the bell rang. "What the hell were you thinking? Oh...Kako...you okay?" he suddenly asked, sitting by Kako and kissing her.

Kako nodded, silent and blushing. Kouichi sighed, picked up his backpack, and muttered, "Do _not_ tell Mom. I'm going to talk to Aizawa about this, so if I find you told Mom..."

"What? Are you going to charge me twenty dollars?" asked Kouji sarcastically. "Please, that's the worst you could do! That is," he added on an afterthought, "if you aren't sick. Then the worst you could do is order me around and punch me once. But that's it! I'm telling Mom, so tough! And...are those Takuya's goggles on your neck?"

Kouichi clenched his fists, but instead stormed straight to the principal's office, ignoring everything on his way there while he ranted quietly to himself. "Oh, I can't do worse? Hah, I'll show him. _He's_ not the one that nearly died. _He's_ not the one who had to race Kanaye and compete with that..._thing_ on all that..._beep_. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't know Mom, and _I can't do worse?_ Who is he _kidding?_"

Stopping in front of the door to Mr. Aizawa's office, Kouichi sighed and pushed the door open. _Who am _I_ kidding is a better question._

He was too caught up in his own despair to notice the faint beeping sound emitted from his backpack as he entered the room.

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A/N-

Yet _another_ stinky filler chapter! With...more insight (kind of)! .:feels dumb:. So I'm playing around with a few writing styles, in case you haven't noticed, trying to see which works better. I think my _own_ style doesn't show up unless I've got this _great_ inspiration...I _almost_ did, after watching, 'Island of the Lost Digimon.' But...then I found it didn't work, because the stupid antagonist was having some gender problems...I really liked that idea, too! It would have been funny! (I'll write it down as a bonus chapter) And yes, the poem is mine! I wrote it, I made it up! Don't copy it, please?

Now, I _promise_, and I _swear_, the next few chapters will be more informational! They'll actually get the plot going. It seems 'um...what the hell is going on,' right now, so if you have any questions, review and ask, and I'll answer them in the livejournal (which I set up for answering reviews! .:gasps:.)

Livejournal site, and check it, too, if you ask questions-

www (dot) livejournal (dot) com (slash) users (slash) dragonsunlight

...that was quick! Just replace the (dot)'s and (slash)'s with . and / .

I may not be able to post some chapters in the future due to the possibility of a power outage. I shall tell you this before hand.

Thank You-

_WithBrokenWings, piyomon, Snowy Leopardess, The Light's Refrain, Lady Hikari-Yami_. Your reviews brighten my cloudy day.

I know it's _really_ stupid that I'm about to do this, but COULD I PLEASE HAVE _SOMEONE_ FLAME? Someone who _MEANS_ to flame! It just doesn't feel right without a flamer...:sob:. And I mean a genuine flamer, because if it's just someone _pretending_ to flame...it doesn't feel right!

So...

Review or Flame. _Someone_ flame (or take your useful criticism and put it in a mean way!).


	29. Restarting Training

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon. 29th time in the story it's been stated. I should probably state...Kako's my OC.

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Restarting Training

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"Ah, Kouichi, come in!"

Kouichi gulped and walked in. With a trembling hand, he pulled up a chair and sat down. "Uh...so, Mr. Aizawa, is it poss-"

"Nope," the elderly man replied cheerfully.

Kouichi felt his heart sink. His face fell. Realizing he was out of options, he stuttered, hoping to find another option, "Uh...s-so, um..."

Mr. Aizawa chuckled. A thin smile formed, almost rejuvenating his ancient face. "However, since I know you won't go back and apologize, we'll find an alternate solution. We'll have Rai teach you."

"What? Are you serious?" Kouichi sputtered incredulously, amazed at his luck.

"Yes, of course! Rai will teach you while Mr. Ogata is teaching the class, and the rest of the time, your classes will be with the respective teachers. And you're excused from P.E. You can watch the class, though. Okay, that wasn't too hard, was it?"

While the principal let out a carefree laugh and dismissed Kouichi, the boy stood up, utterly shocked. "Uh...thanks Mr. Aizawa," he murmured before walking out of the office, still stunned.

It was only while heading off campus that Kouichi began to laugh as well, running home despite the fact that he had run the mile earlier that day.

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"Kouichi!" Lowemon called out for the seventh time in the past five minutes.

Kouichi jumped, nearly dropping the large package in his hand. Glaring at Lowemon, he hissed, "Shush!" Then, he proceeded to wrap the package up more.

Duskmon appeared out of the shadows of the open door, snorting as Kouichi attempted to sneak towards the living room. _He's going to get caught_.

_Duskmon, hush! _Lowemon returned, _He'll have to learn for himself._

Kouichi kept his eyes glued to the door as he slipped on his shoes. Just as his hand reached the doorknob, he flinched.

"Kouichi Kimura, get over here right now, young man!" his mother yelled from the kitchen.

_Thank whatever, digimon or gods, that she doesn't do this in public,_ Kouichi thought, shivering visibly. He yanked up the package, then called back, "Mom, I know you want to yell at me, but I have to be somewhere right now, I can't cancel it, and it's crucial to my future, so can we do this when I come back? Thanks for being so understanding!" he yelled, a small hint of sarcasm in his voice.

The next chance he got, he ran out the door.

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Kouichi gasped, out of breath. Lifting the cumbersome object in his hands, he began treading towards the bookstore, one step at a time. _I have to say,_ he thought,_ Mr. Saito's pretty smart. This is training itself. TORTUROUS TRAINING!_

The boy groaned. "Just...a few more...steps," he grunted, dragging his feet and grabbing a hold of the doorway to pull himself in. "Mr. Saito...uh...could I get a bit of help?"

Mr. Saito flashed him a look before smiling. "Kouichi," he greeted the boy. "No."

Biting back a groan, Kouichi forced himself to drag the sword through the doorway before he collapsed into a nearby chair, attempting to steady his breath. "Okay...that works too. What...now, then?"

Mr. Saito shut the door and flipped the sign over. "I'll close up, and we'll continue your training. Now, bring the sword to the back."

This time, Kouichi really did groan.

"Well, do you want to learn or what?" Mr. Saito returned sharply.

Kouichi shut up. Drawing a breath, he picked up the sword and trudged to the back of the room.

------------------------------------------

"So...I just do this until I get the hang of it?" Kouichi asked, wincing as he swung the sword in the directions his mentor had instructed him to.

Mr. Saito nodded. "Do you have it?"

"Yeah..."

"Then we'll move on. Leave the sword here for now. We'll be going on a little...'field trip.'"

Kouichi blinked, utterly confused as he followed the new instructions. _As if my life isn't messed up already...oh, whatever. He knows what he's doing, right?_

------------------------------------------

"What...is this place?"

Mr. Saito calmly walked in and murmured, "A friend of mine teaches Taekwon-Do here. But you should know that. After all, Kako goes here."

_Kako...Taekwon-Do,_ Kouichi frowned, _and Kanaye. Can't forget. Kanaye. _

"Fuuya," the bookstore owner bowed slightly to the elderly man who stood at the side. Kouichi blinked and walked in, watching the two men exchange a quite conversation. He looked around to observe the room. A word that summed it up was empty. The walls were bare, save the mirrors on the right side of the room. The floor was covered by a mat.

Shivering slightly at the thought of being stuck in a room as empty as the one he was currently in, Kouichi returned his gaze to Mr. Saito. The two men had now finished whatever conversation they had. "Uh...so..." Kouichi murmured, looking around nervously. _Why me...?_

Mr. Saito chuckled, "Now, you watch."

"I watch?"

"Yes. You watch the class. Just take any techniques into mind. I'll pick you up in...an hour."

The only question in Kouichi's mind as Mr. Saito walked out was, _HUH? WHAT KIND OF TRAINING IS THIS? _

Sighing and taking a seat on the bench behind him, Kouichi began to watch, not knowing the slightest of what was going on. "Eh...Saito's gone nuts..."

_I TOLD you,_ he could practically hear Duskmon snort. Kouichi grumbled to himself, folding his arms and leaning back against the window. _But...where would Kako and Kanaye be, then?_

"There is NO way I'm doing that!"

_Okay...there's Kako,_ Kouichi thought, attempting to hide a smirk.

He heard Kanaye snort. "Then don't bother _coming_."

"Oh please, Mr. I-think-I'm-all-that! Why don't _you_ wash all the windows?" Kako exclaimed angrily as the two students walked onto the mat.

Kanaye returned, "_Because_, as I recall, we had an agreement."

"Kanaye," the man at the side shouted. "Do your own chores. I've told you a thousand times..."

"Uncle Fuuya, it's a _bet._ That's life," Kanaye stated smoothly.

Fuuya glared at his nephew. "Nevertheless, it is still _your_ chore. If I catch you one more time..."

Kanaye snorted and looked away grumpily as his uncle walked to the front of the class. Kouichi's eyes narrowed in on the other boy, then Kako, who stood beside Kanaye. _Someone looks unhappy..._

"Wait...why is Kouichi-" Kako started, glancing to her right and catching sight of Kouichi. "What-"

"Kako! Stop being so distracted," Fuuya barked. "Kanaye, go."

As the class bowed in, Kouichi kept an eye on Fuuya's every move. Every single technique executed, every word, he took it all in. And as soon as he left Kanaye in charge of the class, Kouichi was reviewing everything he had just seen.

"Hm...of course I'm in charge," Kanaye murmured to himself smugly.

Kako threw him a disgusted look. "So, oh-so-holy one, what are we going to do? Or are you going to have us write an essay on how great you are?" she asked hotly.

"Forms, of course. Because apparently, you need to touch up yours."

"WHAT?" Kako glared, outraged, "I'll have you know, mine are _way_ better than _yours_."

Kanaye laughed at this. "I fail to see how."

"First off, you totally blank out. Your forms had ten times more mistakes than mine!"

Kouichi resisted the urge to yell as he said through gritted teeth, "Do you guys wanna start your forms now? The others aren't all that great..."

Kanaye and Kako turned to him, then exchanged glares. "MINE IS SO BETTER THAN YOURS!" they chorused before running to opposite sides and beginning their forms.

Kouichi twitched. "Why...are they so...and when did Kanaye act so...I give up," he muttered, sitting down, disgusted with the entire situation. He began his observations. Kako was indeed slightly better than Kanaye in forms, but Kanaye seemed to have an air about him that made him seem as the powerful one. And yet, Kako had determination, whereas Kanaye thought he was the best. _But they're both pretty good. Just need to stop having ego problems._ A small smile appeared on his lips.

"Kako, that's _wrong_," Kanaye suddenly snapped.

Kako froze and looked at her hands. "What? No! You're just stupid!"

"Actually...that _is_ wrong," Kouichi countered. "Look at your feet."

Confused, Kako glanced down. "Uh...yeah. So?"

"It's the wrong stance."

Kako went red. "SINCE WHEN WERE YOU SUCH AN EXPERT?"

Kouichi shrugged and replied, "I was just paying attention to details. Something you fail to do in math, may I say?"

Blushing an even deeper shade of red, Kako fixed her stance, then continued with her form, determined to not make another mistake. Kanaye finally walked over to Kouichi and muttered, "What are you doing here?"

Once more, he shrugged. "I could wonder that myself, but apparently, this is my training. Do you want to move? You're blocking my way."

"Training?" repeated Kanaye. He laughed, "How is this training? Learning for free by watching, are you?"

Kouichi's eyes narrowed in on the boy in front of him, but he said nothing.

"Oh, but of course...your parents are divorced. You couldn't afford it, could you?"

"Hm...you said only a select few are able to hit you, right?" Kouichi asked, hands gripping the edges of the bench.

"What about it? Think you're fast enough," Kanaye taunted.

A chuckle escaped Kouichi's lips. "Think?" he asked, bringing his right foot around the back of Kanaye's feet and yanking them out from under him. "No, I know." Standing up, the boy glared down at Kanaye. "I suggest you make no comments about me or my family, especially my family, as you know nothing at all. Unless of course, you'd like me to clear up a few mistakes the class is making? I'll gladly use you as an example."

The entire class had fallen silent as they watched Kanaye scramble to his feet, flustered. "Lucky shot," he spat, turning around and storming to the back of the room.

Kouichi pondered exactly what move to use against Kanaye. It then occurred to him that Mr. Saito might greatly disapprove of the fact that he was fighting with Kanaye. So, reluctantly, he sat down and watched once more.

However...the entire class was _still_ watching him.

"Uh...could you all get back to-" he started.

Kako quickly shook her head. "Uh...no. See, the thing is...now...Kanaye's going to-"

"I'm going to challenge you to a sparring match!" Kanaye yelled.

Kouichi covered his mouth with a hand, puffing up his cheeks and pointing at Kanaye with another hand. Swallowing his laughter, he asked, "What...the heck are you wearing?"

"Sparring gear. Otherwise, Uncle Fuuya'll kill me."

"Okay...a sparring match...and why would I accept?"

"To save face!"

Raising an eyebrow, Kouichi considered his options. It would be smart to accept, he'd learn _something_ from watching Kanaye's techniques. But thoughts of whether Fuuya and Saito would approve...

_Well, Fuuya must've known I'd pick a fight with Kanaye_, Kouichi thought, flustered as he realized he needed to make his choice soon. _Might as well make him happy?_

"Fine," he snapped, standing up and slipping off his socks and shoes. "Sheesh...this is ridiculous. The only one he needs to save face is _you_."

"Uh...Kouichi?" Kako called out, "you might want to take off your jacket."

"Why?"

"Because, it'll restrict you from...doing a lot more damage. And I want you to do a LOT of damage to him."

Kouichi snorted and Kanaye glared. "Shut up, Kako!" the insulted boy shouted.

"Ne, you're a scaredy-cat for putting on your gear! Why don't you take it off? Scared?" she sneered.

"I AM NOT!" Angrily, Kanaye began to discard pieces of his gear, angrily throwing it in Kako's direction. Kako dodged every single piece, a large grin on her face.

"I think I'll sit out," Kouichi commented, heading back towards the bench. "Doesn't feel safe anymore."

"NO! YOU HAVE TO!" Kanaye and Kako screamed.

Kouichi turned to the two and let out a sigh. "Fine," he muttered, taking off his jacket. "I'll do it."

"Yey!" Kako cheered, pointing to the mirrors. "Alright, everyone! Go guard the mirrors with your life! Unless things get really nasty. Then run and scream."

_I'm beginning to regret this,_ Kouichi thought, tossing his jacket on the bench. _Well, I should've brought my D-Tector. I could've told Kako to give it to Kouji in case I die. Oh...great, I bet I'm going to die. Yeah, that's just great. I only last a day after I stand up for myself in Ogata's class. Yeah, Ogata's planning this all. He wants me to die. I should have known...Digimon, I wish I brought my D-Tector... _

"Then, are you ready?" Kanaye asked, a smirk on his face.

Kouichi shrugged, pushing up his sleeves. "Whatever. Stop being so overconfident."

"Then here I come!"

Kouichi's eyes widened as Kanaye charged towards him. He barely had a second to dodge the kick that was aimed towards his head. _This...is definitely a lot harder than it looks_. "Nice...but...very off target," he breathed, jumping back. _Jump...yeah, that makes sense_, he thought, examining Kanaye as he bounced slightly and then attempted another kick.

Kako clasped her hands together, eyes shut. _Please, please...please, let Kouichi win,_ she thought, shivering as her eyes opened. "Please...?" she whispered in a barely audible voice. "Kouichi...you have to. For Takuya."

_He hasn't done any back kicks...or hand attacks...so he specializes in kicks,_ Kouichi observed after five minutes of sparring. He was still on defense, and Kanaye didn't show the slightest intent of slowing down. _And he's not tired yet...or it doesn't seem like it. So if I aim a kick to injure his leg..._

"You're finished."

Kouichi looked up, surprised. Caught up in his observations, he hadn't realized Kanaye had literally walked up to him. "Finished? I...didn't even get a chance to start," the words came out of Kouichi's mouth as if he wasn't even saying it. As if knowing what to do, he lifted a let, then aimed it at Kanaye's knee.

Kako squealed, covering her mouth happily as Kanaye collapsed on the mat, clutching his knee. "YES! YES, YES, YES, YES, YES!" she yelled, running up to Kouichi and giving him a hug. "YES!"

Kouichi froze and twitched. "K-Kako...do you want to...let go?"

"Oh? HUH? OH! SORRY!" she squeaked, turning around and staring out the window. "Mr. Miwari is back..."

"Eh?"

"UNCLE FUUYA!" Kanaye thundered, "THIS ISN'T FAIR! IT'S ILLEGAL TO AIM BELOW THE BELT, RIGHT?"

Fuuya walked in, utterly surprised. Kouichi stared at the man before something clicked. "NO! Before anything else! You have to leave Takuya alone!"

Kanaye blinked before he burst into laughter, then slowly stood up. "Takuya? No...how's this? I'll leave Kako alone. After all..." His eyes narrowed on Kouichi. "You never _did_ give her the list."

Kouichi shrugged. "It was stupid."

"No...but _you_ did it instead...you ruined _everything._"

"Good," Kouichi returned coolly. "That was the intended effect."

Kako blinked at the two boys before turning to Fuuya. "Uh...sir...about this whole mess..."

Fuuya waved a hand to silence her. "No, no...it was expected. Saito told me you were a fast learner, Kouichi, but I didn't realize you were that fast," he murmured. "A very nice job. Not many people realize Kanaye has that weakness." As he said this, he turned to Kako, a faint smile on his face.

Kako pouted and crossed her arms. "I don't _wanna_ spar him. I hate sparring."

Fuuya laughed. "Well, Kouichi, would you like to join the school? We could use a bright mind like you!"

Kouichi headed back to the bench and put on his jacket. "Uh...no, that's okay." To himself, he muttered, "I prefer having to deal with Duskmon's sarcasm and Saito's confusing ways."

"Well, you're always welcome!" Fuuya declared. "Can't not accept a kid like you with pure talent."

At this compliment, Kouichi shifted uncomfortably. "I...just...watch. It's nothing special."

"What are you talking about?" Kako exclaimed, "you're the first person to beat Kanaye since...since...since something, okay? Stop degrading yourself!"

"Stop giving him so much credit!" Kanaye retorted. "It was a lucky hit."

"It was not!"

"It was too! I'm better now!"

"You're acting!"

"Hah, so you say!"

"I know!"

"Prove it!"

Kouichi let out a sigh as Kako fell forward while attempting to kick Kanaye's knee. He glanced at the clock. It would be one long fifteen minutes...

-----------------------------------------------------

"Kouichi."

Kouichi looked up. "Low-uh!" he sputtered, looking up. _I must've been dreaming or something_, he thought letting out a nervous laugh. "Mr. Saito..."

A smile appeared on the man's face, as if he knew what Kouichi had done. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

The boy shrugged. "Uh...yeah..."

"Well, that's good. Now hurry up. We still have a long talk to go through..."

Kouichi winced as he followed his mentor. Usually long talks meant him spacing out. Unless, of course, he had some say in them. As good of a student as he seemed, Kouichi wouldn't get anywhere without the textbooks.

As soon as the two got back to the bookstore, Kouichi was told to wait while Mr. Saito brought some tea over. The two sat down, and Mr. Saito cleared his throat. Kouichi sat on the edge of his seat, ignoring his tea as he waited for Mr. Saito to speak.

Realizing the bookstore owner wasn't initiating a talk of any sort, Kouichi asked, "So...?"

"As you know, when using a sword, one must remember that a sword is merely one half of the attack. The power, the strength...everything comes from the wielder," Mr. Saito replied softly. "That is why I had you watch Fuuya's students." Then, he added, much to Kouichi's chagrin, "And...you seemed to have learned a lot from what I saw."

_He was watching the entire time...no wonder Fuuya left Kanaye in charge_, Kouichi thought, shutting his eyes. "Uh...about that match..."

Mr. Saito chuckled, "No need to worry, Kouichi. Fights happen. Sometimes, there aren't ways to prevent them."

"Yeah...but-"

"No, just listen. Because of this, I know I can trust you'll use proper judgment in moments like those. You won't initiate a fight for no reason. I can tell. So...get out your D-Tector."

Kouichi's eyes widened. "What! Wait, but-"

"You have it. Your jacket pocket," Mr. Saito told him politely.

"I...do?" Kouichi asked, digging into his jacket pocket and pulling out his D-Tector. He handed it to Mr. Saito. "But how did you-"

"Not now, Kouichi..."

Kouichi fell silent. Then he asked, "What are you doing?"

Mr. Saito placed the D-Tector on the table. Quietly, he held a hand over it. A bright flash of light was emitted from his hand, and a second later, there was nothing. "Now," he murmured, picking up the D-Tector and pointing it towards Kouichi's sword, which lay on the ground against the wall. "Scan."

The sword lifted itself off the ground before shimmering. A fractal code appeared, then flowing into Kouichi's D-Tector. The sword disappeared.

"Where-"

"In the D-Tector," Mr. Saito answered with a smile. The smile quickly faded. "And now, Kouichi. There is something else I must tell you..."

Kouichi took back his D-Tector, staring at it in amazement. Something bigger was definitely going on.

And he just happened to be in the middle of it all.

-------------------------------------------------

A/N-

Well...tada! I know, I know, the story is beyond confusing. It's bizarre, weird...incomprehensible. I swear, I don't mean to make it like this! It's like my 8th grade teacher said...different people write different ways...I just happen to swirl in on the main point...and you have no idea what I'm talking about. Credits for the 11 1/2 chromosomes go to my friend, Pekkle. It's in Chapter 6. And I'll edit the chapter so it says that.

If you have any questions, please state in an understandable manner (in your reviews). I'll place it in my livejournal (userdragonsunlight (The site was stated in the A/N of the last chapter)), and you can get the breeze of what's going on! And everyone will be happy!

Another thing, every single italic I have is either a thought or intends to stress a point that the talker is saying. Unless the computer somehow screws it up, every italic is there for a reason. I'll double check, _PrincessKaze._

Thank you for the reviews-

_PrincessKaze, WithBrokenWings, Snowy Leopardess, Light's Blue Blossom_

And thank you, Pekkle, Ishy and Caro for volunteering to beta. XP I really _should_ have a beta.

And I know Flames aren't nice, but I want one badly. TT

Review or Flame.


	30. Forces

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

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Forces of Darkness, Forces of Evil

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"The idiot," Kanaye laughed, leaning back on the couch leisurely as Ai tended to the wound he had on his knee. "Thought he could beat me."

"Shut up and stop moving!" Ai snapped, dabbing the cotton against his wound harshly.

Kanaye bit his lip. "That...hurt," he growled weakly.

"Then shut up! You're hard enough to care for as it is already. Stop boasting so I can wrap up your knee!"

Takuya sighed and walked around the room aimlessly. _Goggles...my goggles are gone...damn Kanaye, _he thought glumly, heading into the kitchen. He _hated_ having to work for Kanaye. He hated having to stay up past midnight doing stupid homework with no help from Kouichi.

He hated every minute he spent without Izumi.

_The month is almost up. If I don't get free before the dance...I wait a few days after that. Less than a week. But...that means Kanaye takes Izumi to the dance. I can't let that happen,_ he swore to himself, _I just _can't._ I mean...there must be _some_ way..._

"You know, the most amusing part is that after that, the idiot tried making a deal to free you, Takuya," Kanaye suddenly said, chuckling a little. "Pretty stupid, wouldn't you say?"

Ai snorted, then sat beside Kanaye on the couch. "I really don't see why you didn't accept. You promised you'd take _me_ to the dance!" she whined, poking his shoulder.

"Shut up."

"Idiot," Takuya muttered to himself grumpily. _Only Kouichi would be that considerate to ask for a specific deal. He could have asked, 'Leave everyone alone and go to hell. Literally.' But no, he has to ask for _my _freedom. Damn him...stupid Kouichi..._

"So, Takuya, what are _you_ doing for the dance?" Ai asked, wrapping her hands around Kanaye's neck.

"Nothing," muttered the former goggle-head, looking away from the two. He was disgusted with Kanaye, disgusted with the world...but most of all, disgusted with himself. If he wasn't so overly competitive, Izumi wouldn't be stuck in this mess. _Maybe Junpei'll take her out...? I gotta tell Shinya to make him do that,_ Takuya thought brightly.

Kanaye suddenly laughed. "Oh, that's right, I forgot...Junpei, that's his name, right? He got caught supposedly dealing drugs out!"

Takuya's world shattered. _DAMN HIM! STUPID JUNPEI! HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET IN THAT MESS? ONLY AN IDIOT LIKE YOU...and an idiot like me...and an idiot like Kouji..._

He wanted to cry. He wanted to cry so bad. The only things that were holding him back were his pride and Izumi. Of course, his friends as well, but he had to be strong for Izumi. _How does Kouichi do it?_ Wiping his burning eyes, Takuya let out a small groan. _Drum practice. I have drum practice today of all days...what'll Kanaye say to that? _Biting his lip, he prepared to ask when Kanaye shrugged. "Go ahead. But of course, that would mean more fun for me."

Takuya cringed. Better to stay than to risk Izumi getting hurt. Or anyone else, for that matter. This was why he couldn't have Agunimon be anywhere close to him. Somehow, Kanaye could just tell what he was thinking.

"Besides, I need to tell you something," Kanaye continued casually. "Have you ever heard of Marise?"

"Who?"

"Marise. He was a brilliant man, really...had a great family and everything. However, his father-in-law didn't approve of the marriage. So he divorced."

Takuya's eyes widened in shock. _Wait...so is Kanaye giving me the story of his life? Cool,_ he thought, hiding a grin. _Finally, something interesting_.

"He had a son and a daughter. He never really knew his daughter, though. The divorce was a month after she was born. His wife remarried upon his request. And so, only his son knew of his existence. His daughter never knew."

_So...it's not his life story. Damn. Well, this is pretty boring, then,_ Takuya let out a sigh and turned to look out the window.

"Of course, Marise and his wife knew why his father-in-law didn't approve of the marriage. He was destined to die. He and his wife. And for the safety of the children, he left. One could say he almost disappeared from the world."

"So?" Takuya muttered coldly. _Why would Kanaye care about anyone other than himself?_

A smile made its way onto Kanaye's face. "Marise Saito died a little over four years ago. He was a writer, a great one at that. Unfortunately, out of all of his books, there was one book that was let out that remained unknown. That one book was his diary, and there was only _one_ copy in the entire world."

Takuya frowned as he looked at Kanaye and thought, _Saito sounds familiar. Can't quite place it._ Then, aloud, he asked, "So...? It's a diary."

Ai snapped, "The diary isn't just any diary, idiot!" Then, to Kanaye, she giggled, "Right?"

Kanaye nodded and stood up, pushing Ai's hands away. "In that diary is a key. That key opens a locket. Unfortunately both of the items are out of my hands. You see, in that locket is very valuable data..."

The frown stayed on Takuya's face. He _had_ to keep the locket out of Kanaye's hands...at all costs.

------------------------------------------------------

"Er...s-so," Kouichi murmured, flushing when he realized he had been staring at his D-Tector for the past five minutes. "Um...y-you wanted to talk to me about something...?"

Mr. Saito nodded. "The diary...is actually a very rare book. The only one of its kind in the entire world," he murmured softly. "A cousin of mine...Marise...he wrote it."

_Wrote?_ Kouichi frowned as he exclaimed, "But it's blank!"

A chuckle was emitted from the man and he began to explain, "No, it only looks blank. It has to be read in a special way. You see, one, Marise used a special ink. Two, he made sure it was well protected with a special code. He had a family, you see. All their secrets were in his book. His tale _is_ rather tragic...not the way he wanted it to be. He was also a writer, and I sell many of his books. He had a penname, though."

"Oh," was all Kouichi could say. "But...you aren't making any sense, sir..."

"Ah, yes, of course not," Mr. Saito murmured, "my apologies. Now, Marise had a daughter. However, about a month after she was born, he divorced his wife, but gave his daughter a locket. This locket held a sort of decoder for the diary. But there were two parts to the locket, and something else was also put in there. The ink can be read in the dark once the diary is decoded."

"Everything...just went whoosh over my head. So I've got the diary...and there's a locket," Kouichi said slowly. Nothing seemed to be making sense anymore.

"Precisely. Now, as to the masquerade your school is having on your birthday..."

Kouichi winced. "Uh...what about it?"

Mr. Saito's face hardened as he murmured, "You'll have to go."

The boy blinked in confusion. "Why?" asked Kouichi

The bookstore owner sighed and told him, "There will be certain events in which dance is very important. If you ever want to be a spy, which I doubt you do, despite your qualifications, dancing is a very important skill to learn." Kouichi sighed. "Besides," he then added after a pause, "you promised certain people, didn't you?"

_Naoko...of course_, Kouichi remembered somewhat glumly. Aloud, he grumbled, "And I promised Kouji I'd sing..."

Mr. Saito broke out into a smile. "Yes, I asked someone to record it for me."

"WHAT?" Kouichi yelled in shock, nearly falling out of his chair.

"Now, now, drink your tea. I find it amusing how many people seem to comment on how well you sing. So naturally, I want to find out."

Kouichi reddened, but said nothing. He sat there quietly, sipping his tea. Minutes later, he stood up and bowed politely. "Thank you for the lesson today sir," he murmured, pocketing his D-Tector and walking out the door. Turning his head around, he asked, "Next Monday?"

Mr. Saito nodded. "Come this Thursday, as well."

Nodding in turn, Kouichi walked off. He sighed, remembering he would earn an even longer tirade from either his mother or Kouji when he got home. Just the thought made him want to run back to the Saito bookstore. But apparently, Marise's diary held a lot more info than he had originally thought. _Marise S. Marise Saito? That's it, right? Mr. Saito said they were cousins_, Kouichi thought dismally. "I wonder what happened," he wondered aloud, "that made him divorce his wife."

"It's kind of how your parents divorced, huh, Kouichi?"

Kouichi turned around, but found nothing. _Familiar voice, but..._

"You don't have Takuya's goggles with you, do you?"

Kouichi wanted to swear. "Agunimon?" he guessed quietly.

"Right-o. Ophanimon could have made it so that you could see us when you had your D-Tector, but whatever. It's safer this way," Agunimon grumbled. "Takuya's stuck in quicksand."

"I heard Junpei was in trouble, too."

"Yep. Checked on him. Apparently, he was dealing out drugs."

"WHAT?" Kouichi suddenly shouted furiously, racing off in the direction of Junpei's house.

--------------------------------------------------

Junpei sighed. _How the heck did this happen? _That was the question he needed to ask himself. How did it start? Well...

He couldn't remember, for one. He had been hanging around his tenth grade friends, and all of the sudden, everything turned black. And he woke up in the police station.

Behind bars.

He was still behind bars. His parents refused to bail him out.

And so, he was alone. Stuck. Friendless.

"I'M INNOCENT!" Junpei suddenly yelled. "I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"

"Shut it, kid!" an officer barked before tipping his hat over his eyes, leaning back in his chair, and, Junpei supposed, falling asleep.

Junpei sat on the bottom bunk, exhaling sharply. _Man, now I wish I was hanging around Kouji. I thought _he _was trouble,_ he thought, _but it turns out, he's way less trouble than those guys. How'd _I_ end up in jail? And how did _they_ not end up in jail?_ At the moment, he wanted to break out into a chorus of, '_Nobody knows the trouble I've seen, nobody knows my sorrow._'

Unless they were framing him. It was possible. He didn't think he really had any enemies. Junpei wasn't the most popular guy in the tenth grade, but he wasn't the least popular, either. _Kouji could have hired them in revenge_. Junpei shut his eyes with a sigh.

And so, he had been stuck, ever since lunch that day, in jail.

What irritated him the most was the fact that he was innocent.

"Junpei, you stupid-gah, what the heck did you do _now_?"

Junpei's eyes opened wide. "Kouj-oh...Kouichi...what are you doing here?" he asked, his heart recovering from shock. "I didn't do anything, I sw-wait...is that Aguni-"

Kouichi nodded furiously, then looked around. "How the digimon did you get yourself into this mess?"

"I didn't! I already told you! Somehow my friends must've knocked me out...framed me."

Then it hit Kouichi. "Kanaye! It _could_ be...but I'd have to check on Tomoki," the younger boy muttered to himself.

"Um...Kouichi?"

"What? Can't you see I'm busy thinking?"

"Just a question, but how did you get in here?"

The color drained from Kouichi's face. "Uh...I kinda forgot about the fact that two certain digimon told me to sneak in here..."

The officer in the chair stirred slightly, and Kouichi and Junpei froze.

"But...as long as I'm visiting, they can't hurt me, right?" Kouichi asked, laughing nervously. _If I get in trouble _here..._Mom'll double murder me..._

"Go out and come back in. KNOCK," Junpei advised.

Kouichi swallowed and nodded. But just as he walked out the door, another officer walked in. "Hey, kid, what are you-" he started.

Kouichi shut his eyes. "I swear, I'm not trying to do anything! I just needed to talk to my classmate for a school project...and since he's in jail for a crime he didn't commit, I had to talk to him _somehow_," he babbled quickly.

The officer's face softened. "Well...go ahead and talk. But no funny stuff," he warned.

"Thank you, sir," Kouichi murmured gratefully, bowing slightly before running back to Junpei. "Okay...so...exactly _who_ are these so called friends?"

Junpei smiled. _And I thought Kouji was manipulative._

--------------------------------------------------

"So...Kouichi, how did you figure out I was in jail?" Junpei asked as he stretched a little, taking a whiff of fresh air. "God it's good to be free!"

Kouichi smiled slightly. "Well, Agunimon mentioned you in trouble. Your parents were miffed when I talked to them, so...I assumed the worst."

Junpei's face fell as he muttered, "They wouldn't tell you, huh?"

The younger boy shook his head. Then, he said, "But hey, you're free now. It didn't take _that_ long to expose the real idiots."

"True...but..." Junpei faltered. _There'll be ten billion people on my back._ "So why is Agunimon back?" he asked Kouichi, hoping to get his mind off matters.

Agunimon answered, "The army of evil is gathering."

Junpei laughed at this. "Typical answer."

"No, idiot, it's literally gathering."

"Oh..."

"So, to fight it, the army of darkness is gathering as well."

"WHAT? BUT DARKNESS MEANS EVIL AND-"

Kouichi cleared his throat and shot Junpei a sour look. "Yeah, sure darkness means evil. Like light means good, right?" he muttered.

The older boy let out a nervous laugh, "Sorry, Kouichi. Didn't mean it like that. But why the army of 'darkness?'"

Agunimon shrugged, but only Junpei could see. "Ophanimon asked for it to be so."

"What?" Kouichi asked, shocked. "But...she...she's more of light, herself!"

"Ah, whatever. We don't question Ophanimon. Or I don't. Too much work. Anyway, Duskmon's happy about it being named as it is."

Junpei turned to Kouichi. "You're not telling anyone a _lot._ Time for some explaining," he growled.

Kouichi gulped. "Um...I'm already in trouble today. How about we save explaining for tomorrow? Lunch, I promise!" he pleaded, trying to keep a straight face. Junpei gave in with a nod, and Kouichi let out a relieved sigh. "You won't miss any details! Anyway, I'm off to head home. Don't talk to _anyone_ but your parents. Don't ask why, just do it! Agunimon, can you walk him home?"

"Yeah, yeah, but you make him sound helpless," Agunimon muttered.

"No, this is so he doesn't get into any trouble that I can't bust him out of. Later!" Kouichi yelled, racing home.

He didn't know why he was running. He didn't want to hear a lecture.

So why was he running?

--------------------------------------------------

"Mom! I'm home! So you can start ye-...Mom?" Kouichi called out, shutting the door and slipping off his shoes.

Kouji walked out of his room, glaring at his twin. "She left. You're safe."

_Great. Just great_, Kouichi thought, suddenly annoyed. "Go finish your homework, Kouji," he snapped.

"I _did_. What were you doing all of today, anyway?" Kouji snapped back. "First you screw up any chance of education, then you run off and leave Mom to sulk!"

Kouichi fell silent. His eyes burned, his hands were clenched into fists. "You know, Kouji," he murmured quietly, "you're smart. I know you are. You put on this elaborate act just to fool everyone, but you're observing their every move. But when you don't know what they're doing, you get annoyed, and you start throwing that tantrum of yours." Kouichi chuckled, "You don't change, do you?"

Kouji's face hardened. "I don't throw a tantrum! I'm trying to _help_ you!" he yelled.

"Well you aren't helping very much!" Kouichi interrupted. "You try to help, but the more you do, the more you end up ruining my life. Life isn't like the Digital World. It won't be rebuilt magically once you've ruined it, Kouji. So don't even try."

"Then stop running from your problems," Kouji snapped hotly.

"I'm not running," hissed the older twin. "I'm preparing."

The twins exchanged venomous glares, neither moving so much as an inch as their mother opened the door.

"Kouichi...Kouji," she murmured quietly. "I need to talk to both of you."

Kouichi turned around to face his mother, regret in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he murmured, "If this is about me and the incident today at school, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. But I talked to Mr. Aizawa and he's arranged something else, so it's all good. I would have come back earlier, but Junpei got into trouble and so I had to give a few names and help them search so he'd be free. I know it was my turn to make dinner today, and I'm sorry, I'll do the dishes today. No, I'm not saying this to avoid any trouble, and..." Kouichi's eyes lowered to the ground. "I'm sorry for being a disappointment."

A smile appeared on Miss Kimura's face. "Kouichi...although that's part of the reason I wanted to talk to you, that's not all of it. I accept the apology. But don't degrade yourself so low. You aren't a disappointment," she assured him. "Now, both of you, sit on the couch. I'll go make dinner."

"I'll get it," Kouichi blurted automatically, heading towards the kitchen. But his mother shook her head. "Or...not..."

The twins sulked over to the couch, sitting on opposite sides and glaring in opposite directions.

_Kouichi..._

"What?" Kouichi muttered under his breath.

_The darkness...it's calling you..._

"Shut up, Duskmon."

"Ah, so you knew it was me?" Duskmon murmured, amused. He stepped out of the shadows.

"WHAT THE?" Kouji shouted, turning his head and rolling off the couch in surprise. "What is he-"

"Kouji, are you okay?" their mother asked, coming out of the kitchen and frowning. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing," Kouji replied shakily. He rose to his feet and glared at Duskmon. "What is _he_ doing here?" he hissed to Kouichi.

"I dunno what you're talking about," Kouichi replied lazily, taking out his D-Tector and examining it. "So you two were lying, then, Duskmon?"

Duskmon snorted, "Sort of."

Kouichi let out a sigh. "Whatever..." _Does Kouji notice the D-Tector...?_

"Shall I explain to your brother, then?" _I think he's too pre-occupied with glaring at me._

"Whatever," Kouichi muttered again, shooting a glare at Kouji before turning around and looking out the window.

Duskmon turned to Kouichi, a smug look on his face. He simply said, "Kouichi has two spirits and you have one. How's that?"

Kouji glared at Duskmon angrily. "Why...you...stupid...EYEBALL HEAD!"

"Kouji, what are you yelling at?" Miss Kimura demanded, walking out of the kitchen again.

Kouichi hid a smile. Turning to his mother, he said, "I think you better talk to us now before Kouji loses his head, Mom."

"True...but I'm getting worried...you two aren't fighting, are you?"

"No," the boys chorused before exchanging blank glances.

Miss Kimura sighed, then walked over and sat in front of her sons. "Listen, I love you both very, very much. But you have to understand, I'm only one person. I can't watch you all the time. I want you both to promise me that you won't do anything that could put your life in danger," she said.

Kouichi turned to face her, now sitting on the couch properly. "M-Mom, we wouldn't-"

"I wouldn't," Kouji muttered under his breath.

"Shut up. We wouldn't do anything that dangerous."

"Yes, well, in any case," Miss Kimura murmured, forcing a smile as she stood up. "I'll go back to making dinner, then."

"That's not it, is it?" Kouichi asked.

"No...it isn't." Their mother turned around and let out a sigh.

Kouji frowned and questioned, "What is it, Mom?"

"Apparently, Kouji, your step mother is pregnant."

Kouji and Kouichi exchanged glances.

"When did Dad call?" Kouji demanded.

Miss Kimura remained silent.

Kouichi shook his head. "Mom...?"

"Before you two came home," she whispered softly. "Well, I should get back to cooking before something burns." She turned around and gave them a smile before walking back to the kitchen.

"I _hate_ him," Kouji muttered, disgusted. "He has to do something as stupid as that, just when we're all getting to be a family again. It's so _stupid_."

_You're so stupid_, Kouichi wanted to tell his twin. "So...then...have fun being an older brother."

"I don't want to be!"

"Really? You always seem to act like that around me," Kouichi returned, clearly amused.

Duskmon sighed impatiently. "Are you done, Kouichi? Lowemon and Agunimon need to talk to you."

"Lowemon _and_ Agunimon? WHY DO YOU HAVE THREE SPIRITS?" Kouji shrieked in a harsh whisper.

Kouichi stood up and walked to his room with no explanation. _'The army of darkness,'_ Agunimon had said. But why had Ophanimon chosen such a name? Surely 'The army of light,' would have worked just as well?

"My head hurts," Kouichi groaned, shutting the door to his room. "Lowemon, Agunimon...what is it?"

"Nothing you haven't heard already. But you need to find that locket. It's important. From what Takuya was apparently muttering, according to Tomoki, who talked to Shinya, Kanaye wants the locket and Marise's diary. Beetlemon is here. No one has their D-Tector yet," reported the warrior of darkness.

Agunimon then added, "And Tomoki obviously knows we're here. I always liked that kid. Smart, he is. Wish I had_ hal_f his brains."

"Notice how he seems to have Takuya's personality," Duskmon commented.

"And if that means Lobomon has Kouji's personality..." Agunimon started.

The three digimon shivered. Then Duskmon snorted, "So what? We outnumber Lobomon."

"Oh yeah!"

"Idiots," Lowemon muttered under his breath. "I'm working with_ idiot_s."

Kouichi suppressed a smile. Instead, he lay on his bed, holding up his D-Tector and examining it. "I wish...I just wish," he whispered.

--------------------------------------------------

"Kanaye..."

Kanaye continued to ignore Ai and her pestering voice.

"Kanaye, you've ignored me for the past who knows how many weeks, then you make a bet with Takuya, and_ he's_ always around now, and what's worse is you aren't even taking me to the dance anymore! Kanaye, are you listening to me?" she shrieked angrily, turning his chair to face her. "I'm_ sick_ of being ignored. You_ promised_ me a higher position in your life!"

The boy shook his head. "Of course," he murmured softly. "Saito hid the book where someone_ els_e would find it. Meaning it either hasn't been found yet or..." He paused and turned to Ai. "Or someone else has it." A smile graced his lips. "Ai, you don't understand, do you?" he asked, pulling her towards him. "Of course I'm ignoring you, but if I don't, don't you think Izumi will be suspicious? Whereas if I_ do_ ignore you, she won't suspect as much..."

"But Kanaye..." Ai whined, kissing him fiercely. "You promised..."

"And the promise will be carried out so long as my plans are carried through properly," he growled, pushing her away. "Now let me_ work_."

Ai stormed off angrily. Kanaye let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair, fingering the chain around his neck. _"Girls_," he muttered. _Not worth any of the trouble they cause._

--------------------------------------------------

A/N-

(This was supposed to be posted on my b-day/Pearl Harbor Day, but I didn't have time, yesterday). MORE INFO! W00T! Marise's diary is covered! Although, not completely. Takuya is covered! Not completely. Junpei covered! Tomoki needs covering! So does Izumi! And Kako! AND KOUJI!

Which reminds me. I hate Kouji for some reason, but I don't really remember why. Stupid Kanaye...I hate his last thought. Oh, anyway, sadness descends upon the Kimura household. .:sigh:.

Okies, well that's it for this chapter. Tell me if you want Japanese digi-names or English. I'm doing English, so far.

Thank you for the reviews (In reverse order of reviews)-

_The Light's Refrain, With Broken Wings, BrokenAngel01, Light's Blue Blossom, Snowy Leopardess._

Review or Flame.


	31. Things Change

Disclaimer-I do not own Digimon (For the thirty-first time in this story).

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Things Change Faster Than We See Them Changing

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"Uh..." Kouichi looked around the empty hallways. _I should have asked exactly where Ms. Kawai would be teaching me. For this second, I regret not being in Ogata's class. Actually...nah! What am I talking about? This is great! Freedom! Free from people poking me to death! Free from idiot teachers! Free from idiot classmates! Free from stuck-ups! Free from tests! Free fro- _

"Kouichi, nice to see you not in class."

Kouichi froze from his silent cheering. He looked up and emitted a nervous laugh. "Ms. Kawai...nice to see you today."

She frowned. "You're quite the trouble maker, you know. But I must say, I'd do the same thing if I were in your shoes."

His jaw dropped. "Huh?"

"Well, hurry up, now! You aren't going to stand there staring all day, are you?" she asked impatiently tapping her foot. "Move it, Kimura. You've got an actual educational class."

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_She's nice...but she's an evil teacher. Way harder than Ogata. THIS is the kind of teaching I like!_ Kouichi grinned silently to himself as he pored over the textbook. Ms. Kawai had gone for coffee, leaving him alone in the room, stuck among dozens of books.

"I could get used to this,"he said aloud, shutting the book and picking up another. "History. Huh. How interesting."

"It looks boringTake out the sword! Can we practice?" Duskmon pleaded.

Kouichi resisted the urge to whack his head against the book. Lately it seemed Duskmon was one side of him, Lowemon the other, and Agunimon was Takuya's replacement.

Itwas driving him nuts.

_NO,_ Kouichi's mind shouted. He knew right away from the grumbles that Duskmon had heard him. "I'm _busy_, besides, she could come back any second now," he murmured quietly.

Ms. Kawai walked in, a cup of coffee in one hand. "Ooh, has Kako been sneaking in? I thought she'd try it someday. But then again, not many people know this room..."

The boy looked up and shook his head. "Uh...no, I was reciting the lines from a book I remembered reading about the...uh..." he stuttered, taking a quick glance at the history book. "About the Industrial Revolution! Y-yeah..."

_Lame cover_, Kouichi heard Duskmon's thoughts.

_I'd like to see you do better_.

Duskmon snorted. _Well...I would. If she weren't_ _such a_-

_Duskmon, if you don't stop insulting the ladies,_ Lowemon growled.

Kouichi choked on his laughter. "So...when can I go back to the classroom?" he asked Ms. Kawai, hoping the two Digimon would stop their telepathic argument.

Rai shrugged. In reply, she murmured, "Soon. Maybe after the first break. You'll have to sneak in. Ogata won't be all that happy to see you..."

_Sneak in? She's...a good teacher, but definitely weird,_ Kouichi thought with a frown. It soon was replaced by a look of surprise as she looked over at him with a smile.

"So...you think I'm weird, huh? I don't blame you. But...you ought to remember this one fact, because it'll help you a _lot_ through life; Girls are girls, despite form. An alien girl will still be a girl. A fish girl will still be a girl. A...a blob girl will _still_ be a girl. So treat them like they want to be treated, despite how weird you think it is. Because one wrong move, and your relation with them is at jeopardy."

The boy blinked. _Is...that supposed to help me? It might help_ _Kouji...but...me_?

"Yes, it will help you."

_IS SHE READING MY_ _THOUGHTS_? Kouichi was on the verge of panicking.

"No, I'm not reading your thoughts. But I must be, seeing as how you're all tensed up!" the teacher laughed, placing her coffee on the table. "Kouichi..." she murmured, taking a seat, "do you like to draw?"

"W-well..." Kouichi stuttered, surprised by the sudden change of topic. "A little, I guess."

"You don't like school very much, either, do you?" Kouichi flushed at this question and remained silent. Ms. Kawai leaned back in her chair with a sigh. "I thought so. You know...I think that's why Hideki actually likes you, compared to Kouji. Hideki was smart...just...he slacked off a lot, especially when his mother died...are...you okay?"

"Wait...w-one second, their mom died...but...Mr. Aizawa...the first day or something...he asked Kako how her mom was," Kouichi muttered, suddenly surprised.

Ms. Kawai frowned. "Well, he's an old guy. His brain must be rotting."

_Well...it's an explanation,_ Kouichi thought, eyebrow raised. He fell silent as Ms. Kawai continued with her story:

"Anyway, Hideki was smart. He slacked off a lot, eventually dropped out of school, was a total idiot. He doesn't want to see that happen to anyone else, and it's because he sees a lot of that in Kouji that he refuses to let Kako see the poor kid. Although...Kako doesn't really talk to him. Wonder why that is..." mused Rai, suddenly smirking.

Kouichi's heart beat faster, as to why, he didn't know. "Kako...doesn't really talk to him, because..."

He was jealous.

"Hm?"

"B-because...uh...I forget. Must be from getting knocked out by Kouji," he muttered, mainly to himself.

He didn't want to remember.

Ms. Kawai laughed, "Must be another reason Hideki doesn't approve."

"Actually..."

Kouji could be with Kako, and Kouichi could not.

"Well, it doesn't matter," she said dismissively. Shutting her eyes, Ms. Kawai asked, "So which do you prefer...sunrises or sunsets?"

"I do sunsets."

"You do sunsets?" Ms. Kawai opened one eye.

"I paint sunsets."

"Ooh, really? Show me some copies sometime. Does Kako have any?"

_It never ends, does it? Mr. Saito, and now her,_ Kouichi thought glumly and he grumbled, "Kako has some. They're just the color pencil versions, though."

She laughed again, opening both eyes. "You don't like anyone seeing yo_ur_ art, do you?" He shook his head. "But from the samples I stole from Ogata, you're a pretty good writer, too."

"Uh...Mom made me practice a lot when I was in kindergarten from what I remember."

Silence befell them and Kouichi turned back to the book. Just as he opened it, however, the bell rang. He winced. "I don't...have to go, do I?" It was strange of him to ask such a question, but he didn't feel like leaving the safety of the room.

Besides, he enjoyed the silence.

Ms. Kawai rose an eyebrow, and Kouichi knew her answer right away. "Well...do you want me to bring everyone in here?"

Letting out a sigh, Kouichi picked up his bag and slumped his shoulders as he walked out of the room. _So much...for fun_.

A figure stepped out from behind the bookshelves. "He's pretty smart."

Ms. Kawai smiled. "You have no idea, believe me. No idea."

---------------------------------------

"Kouichi! What the hell did you do while we were in class?" Kouji yelled as Kouichi made his way to his locker.

Kouichi remained silent, keeping his face straight.

"Answer me, dammit!"

Nothing.

"Fine! Wait till I tell Mom you're skipping class!"

"Go ahead and lie, then."

"I won't be lying!"

"You should really see your face," the older twin commented, snickering slightly. "It's very...well, to say the least...interesting."

Kouji shot a final glare at his twin before turning around and attempting to stomp off. Kako ran straight into him, grabbed his arm, then turned to Kouichi. "Okay, okay, that's not fair!" she snapped. "Is Rai a good teacher? Well? TELL ME ALREADY!"

And Kouichi's face fell. "Uh...one thing first..."

Kako shot him a confused look and questioned, "What? What is there to know before you tell me if she's good at anything other than bio, which she happens to be wonderful at?"

_She knows how to praise, _Kouichi thought with a smile. "Why on earth would you tell her I draw?" he demanded quietly, shutting his locker.

"Wait, this is new! And what is this about Ms. Kawai teaching?" Kouji suddenly asked, glancing down at Kako.

"HE GETS TO BE TAUGHT BY RAI! A ONE STUDENT CLASS! IT ISN'T FAIR!" Kako squealed, pointing at Kouichi.

Kouichi shifted uncomfortably before walking off. "Go away, both of you."

"NO!" the two chorused, running after him.

"I demand details!" Kako yelled, grabbing a hold of his shoulder and spinning him around. Then, smiling as innocently as possible, she let him go and stood on her tiptoes as she asked politely, "Please?"

_This...isn't...fair_, Kouichi thought weakly, looking around for support from Izumi or Junpei. Yes...Junpei...he had helped the older boy, but got none in return. _Typical, but whatever..._

"Fine," sighed Kouichi looking to the side. "Ms. Kawai's a great teacher, but I haven't gotten a real assignment yet. All it is so far is reading textbooks. I read about three so far..." Seeing Kouji's jaw drop, he snapped irritably, "It's not all that hard, you know. It's called _skimming_."

"Shut up," Kouji scowled in annoyance. Then, out of nowhere, he wrapped his hands around Kako's waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. "So...you aren't skipping class, and I can't complain to Mom about having to get stuck with a mean old teacher?"

Kouichi shut his eyes and exhaled sharply. "No, I guess you don't."

While his eyes were shut, Kako wriggled under Kouji's embrace, shooting the younger twin an angry look. "Let...me..."

"GAH!"

Kouichi opened his eyes to find Kouji hopping on one foot, the other in his hands. Kako smirked victoriously and Izumi gazed at the three with a small smile.

"Well, I was right, then," Kouichi muttered, leaning against the wall behind him. "Kouji _does_ need more girl advice than I do..."

"What makes you say that?" Izumi asked, biting back laughter as Kako chased after Kouji, threatening to step on his other foot.

"Well...Ms. Kawai gave me some advice on girls. And...wow, Kouji changed his bandana. Just noticed that. It doesn't look all that different."

Izumi leaned beside him, emitting a sigh. "Kouichi..."

"Yeah?" he asked, glancing at her.

She moaned quietly before looking up at him, her face betraying her devastation. Izumi murmured, "Isn't there _some_ way you could get Takuya back?"

"Yeah, it's kind of disgusting for a creep like Kanaye to go with my girl!" Agunimon snapped, appearing beside Izumi, noddin_g._

Duskmon appeared beside him. "_Idiot_, she's not _your_ girl. She's _Takuya's_."

"But Takuya's my human!"

"How...does that work?" Kouichi asked, an eyebrow raised in question. "He can't just...be your human."

Agunimon flashed him a grin. "Well," sta_rte_d the spirit, "it's a complicated matter that even your advanced human brain can't understand right now!"

Izumi stared at Agunimon, then Duskmon. She turned to Kouichi and questioned, "Agunimon-when...?"

"Sometime over the weekend, I think. Anyway, about getting T-" Kouichi froze. "Uh...I forgot."

"What?" Izumi asked, looking at where the older boy's eyes were glued on. "Oh...Ta...Takuya..." she whispered quietly.

Takuya blinked, staring at the two. "My locker...you're blocking it," he stated quietly.

Kouichi inclined his head and moved, yanking Izumi to the side as he murmured so even Takuya couldn't hear, "About getting the Takster back, I think I know a way...but...it won't work until the dance. You'll have to be patient, okay? And...would you sing for us?"

"W-what? I can't-don't..."

"Well...announce for us, then."

"That'll work better," she replied with a nervous laugh. Before Kouichi could dash off, she grabbed him back and gave him a hug. "I really wish you were my brother. Kouji has _no_ idea how lucky he is to have you," Izumi told him earnestly with a small smile. Quietly, she walked off.

Kouichi returned the smile, then glanced at Takuya, who gazed quietly at the two. Kouichi cleared his throat, awakening Takuya from his trance-like state. The two boys locked gazes, and with a small discreet nod, Takuya went back to his locker.

---------------------------------------

"Alright, quiet down, already!" Ms. Kawai shouted above the buzzing of the class. As she walked past Kouichi to head to the front of the room, she muttered, "I prefer one person classes, but this'll have to do for now..."

Kouichi snickered a little and then gazed out the window. Although he hated to admit it, he _did_ miss his seat. It had the best view of the trees. "So, Kako," he suddenly asked, looking over his shoulder. "Who won? You or Kouji?"

"Me, _obviously_," Kako returned haughtily, throwing a glare at Kouji, who was now nursing both feet.

"Yeah? Well sorry if you don't like me showing how much I love you!" Kouji returned in a harsh whisper.

Kako turned red and Kouichi returned his gaze to the trees. _Some things...are better left untold,_ the older twin thought, ignoring the throbbing headache he had just developed.

"Hey...Kouichi?" Kako whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder lightly. Kouichi shrugged it off and didn't turn around. Swallowing, Kako withdrew her hand and returned her attention to Rai.

"Okay, well, guess what I'm going to do? Yes, once more, I'm splitting you into pairs!" Ms. Kawai announced when the conversations died down. Then, as an afternote, she added, "Again. So...we're changing the pairs! Kind of. Well, they're done by random. Anyway! Kouji and Naoko, Kanaye and Fujitaka, Ai and Eijo, Takuya and Izumi, Kako and Kouichi, Miyo and Suzu..."

Kouichi wanted to bang his head against the wall. Shakily, he rose a hand. "Uh...Ms. Kawai..."

"Yes, some of you may have the same partners. Live with it. It's random," she replied airily.

_Not so random_, he thought, not wanting to look behind him. _No one else got the same partner. _"So...then what's the project?"

Rai smirked. "Oh, I'm _very_ glad you asked. You'll be construc_ting_ a model of DNA."

_DNA, yes, model, no._ Kouichi looked back at Kako and murmured, "Do you have pipe cleaners?"

"And it's an afterschool project," Ms. Kawai continued.

"Are you free after school?" Kouichi asked, twitching.

Kako let out a whimper and murmured, "I'm...busy, actually..."

Snapping her fingers, Rai added, "Oh, and it's due tom_orrow._"

The class fell silent.

Kouichi rose a hand. "CAN WE PLEASE, _PLEASE_ MEET FOR FIVE MINUTES?" he yelled frantically.

"Of course," she replied smugly. "Hurry up, though. I'm timing."

"I'm not busy _anymore_," Kako snapped, glaring at Kouji. Kouichi breathed a sigh of relief. The girl behind him poked his shoulder hard. "Achem, Mr. Moody," she muttered, now glaring at him, "what's _your_ problem?"

"OY, NAOKO! YOU CAN COME OVER, RIGHT? GREAT!" Kouji yelled before going back to nursing his feet.

"Sure," Naoko called back.

Twitching, Kako glared at the younger twin, annoyed at the interruption. "Do you want to shut up?"

"Eh...do you want to come over or do I have to suffer Hideki's wrath?" Kouichi _ask_ed timidly.

"I'm coming over. Hideki's a loser, and he's throwing some random party. I needed to get out anyway."

_Great. Ms. Kawai is truly evil,_ Kouichi thought with a sigh. "Okay...pipe cleaner hats, here I come."

-----------------------------------------

Izumi's throat went dry as soon as she heard her name called out after Takuya's. She wanted to scream, wanted to hide. She wanted to cry, long and hard, alone in a room.

As soon as Ms. Kawai gave the class five minutes to meet with their partners, Izumi froze. Shakily, she stood up and shuffled over to Takuya. "Umm..."

"If it isn't too much trouble, you can come over, and we'll work on it. Otherwise, I'll work on it alone," Takuya immediately said, his eyes not meeting Izumi's.

Izumi let out a small sigh and nodded. "Okay," she whispered in turn, looking at her shoes.

"And...Izumi..."

She looked up at him.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way."

Izumi forced a small smile. "I-It's okay. Anyway..." Biting her lip, Izumi walked back to her seat.

It took all his self restraint just so he wouldn't grab Izumi and kiss her. Takuya swallowed and sighed deeply, shutting his eyes and leaning back in his chair. He could hear the faint chattering of the twins and Kako.

But most importantly, Izumi's fading footsteps.

-----------------------------------------

"Yey! Have you finished?" Kako asked, skipping beside a brooding Kouichi.

He shot her a confused stare. "What?"

"Final Fantasy..."

"...Actually..." _I've been so sidetracked from the real world..._ "No."

"Aww..."

"Well, maybe if you finish- early enough, you can play," offered Naoko quietly.

Kouji grumbled, "But I have to be done, too!"

Wearily looking over his shoulder, he older twin declared, "If you...or anyone else...watches, I'm _not_ playing."

Kako began to whine.

_Oh, how my life is so peaceful_, Kouichi thought, sarcasm heavy in his head. "Three...two...one, I'm running!" he yelled, racing home.

Surprised, Naoko and Kako yelled, "Wait up!"

Kouji was about to yell at them to stop when they raced off, leaving him alone. Irritated, he yelled, "WHAT IS IT WITH THE WORLD TODAY?"

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A/N-

I know, not much yet. There's a bit. But...not much. It's a short chapter, what can I say? More info will apparently be next chapter, because I can't make this one too long. More Tomoki next chapter, too! It makes me happy. More Takuya and Izumi, too. And more Kako. She's been ignored.

Hm...the italics are getting messed up. .:not happy:.

Thank you-

_Winter's Light, WithBrokenWings, PrincessKaze, Konfused Kitty, Snowy Leopardess, GemmaniGirl_

I love your reviews, your support, everything. You're the best. Can't wait to hear from you all again!

Review or Flame.


	32. True Emotions

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon

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True Emotions

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Tomoki sighed and glanced at his watch. _Shinya, where _are_ you?_ Letting out an impatient sigh, he waited a while longer.

"Tomoki!"

The boy pushed up his hat and saw Shinya running towards him, hand covered over a package in his hand protectively. "You sure took your time! What was up?" Tomoki asked, taking the package into his own hands.

Shinya, out of breath, took a while before answering, "Takuya...Izumi...you _have_ to come. Just to make sure...it doesn't..."

Right away, Tomoki knew what was wrong.

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"Gah, Kouichi, you didn't have to run! How could you? You're carrying three books!" Kouji grumbled, stomping through the door after Kako and Naoko.

Kouichi walked out of the kitchen carrying a plate of cookies. "Before you take a cookie, promise you won't become hyper and ruin the house," he replied, holding the cookies out of Kako's reach.

Kouji snorted and sat on the couch after closing the door. Placing a hand on his growling stomach, he whined, "She promises, now give me a cookie already! I'm hungry..."

"Don't you have kendo?"

"Nope. Got out of it today. I had OTHER plans..." The younger twin shot Kako a glare.

Kako smiled serenely. "Cookie first, whacking Kouji later."

"HEY!"

"What, Kouji _dear_?" Her voice dripped with heavy sarcasm.

Kouichi handed the plate to Kako and sat down beside his brother. "Yeah, whatever. Uh...we should start, huh?"

"Well, technically...yes," Naoko admitted. She took a seat beside Kouichi and quietly lay her head on his shoulder.

Kouichi froze, but said nothing. Kouji was too busy trying to snatch a cookie from Kako while still sitting to notice.

Kako's eyes narrowed on Kouichi and Naoko before she shoved the plate at Kouji and dragged Kouichi off the couch. "Okay, we're going to start our project now!" she announced, running to Kouichi's room, tightening her grip on his arm as she slammed the door behind them.

Kouji crossed his arms grumpily. Finishing the cookie he had stuffed in his mouth, he muttered, "Well, let's start, then."

Naoko just smiled.

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Kako breathed a sigh of relief as she sat down on Kouichi's bed. Kouichi twitched, saying nothing as he took a seat and cleaned up his desk quietly. His hand brushed across the present Kako had given him. He took the present and several other things, quickly stashing them into a cabinet in his desk. Then he cleared his throat and asked, "How long do you plan to invade my room?"

"Oooh, I wish my bed was this warm," Kako murmured with a sigh.

Kouichi's eyes widened. "GET OFF MY BED!"

Kako glared and yelled back, "No! Come on, you aren't going to make me sit on the floor, are you?"

"I'll sit on the floor and you can have the chair! Just get off my bed!" pleaded a flustered Kouichi.

"Make me!"

"Fine!" Kouichi stood up, staring menacingly at Kako. A second later, he sighed and sat back down on the bed. "Not worth the effort..."

The girl burst into laughter, jeering, "It's a miracle you beat Kanaye!"

Kouichi stood up once more, this time walking over to her and smiling. "Wanna bet?"

"You're on!"

_Funny, she isn't afraid to bet after the last one with Kanaye,_ Kouichi thought as he stated the rules, "Okay, I win, you get off my bed. Rules are self-explanatory."

"I win, you owe me chocolate and do the project yourself!" Kako sang back.

"Fine with..." Kouichi grinned as he began to tickle Kako. "...Me," he murmured, laughing with her a little.

Kako shrieked and burst out laughing, trying to push Kouichi away. Still laughing, she managed to squeal, "N-no! Come on, this isn't fair!"

"So, then, I win!" Kouichi chuckled as he waited for Kako to get off the now messy bed. _Darn, now to remake it..._

"No! I told you, it's not fair!" Kako snapped, sitting up on the bed and stubbornly glaring at Kouichi, arms crossed across her chest.

Kouichi sighed. "_Please_?"

"NO!"

"Just get off!" Kouichi burst angrily. Kako replied by sticking out her tongue. _Stop being a child...it's a bit too much,_ he thought, sitting down in the chair with an exasperated sigh. "Whatever..."

"Jerk."

Silence befell them for the longest time.

"We should...get...started, huh?" Kouichi asked quietly.

Kako said nothing. Instead, sniffing, she drew her knees up. _Jerk. What's his problem?_

Kouichi sighed again and called out in a murmur, "Kako?"

"What?" she snapped.

"Why...exactly did you drag me away from the cookies if we aren't going to work on the project?"

_COOKIES? GOD, IS THAT ALL HE'S THINKING AOBUT?_ Kako let out a small growl and snapped, "Because I _felt_ like it! If you want to start, then _start,_ dammit!"

In response, Kouichi turned around. "It isn't good to curse," he reprimanded.

"I don't give a _damn_."

_I...give...up. She's worse than _Kouji._ As if that's possible_, Kouichi thought grumpily, pulling a drawer open and pulling out some pipe cleaners and construction paper. "Fine. I'll work on it myself."

"Fine!"

"Fine."

"FINE!"

Kouichi's hand clenched around the paper he drew out, crumpling it to a useless ball. "...so much for using that," he muttered, throwing it to the side. _Blue for Adenine...Green for Guanine, and then we'll have Orange and Red for Cytosine and Thymine. Brown for the sugars, Gray for Phosphorus. It works._ He flashed a look at Kako through his peripheral vision. Her gaze was glued onto him, watching his every move. With a defeated sigh, Kouichi picked up some pipe cleaners. _The usual day...alone._

Nothing had changed much these past years at all.

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Izumi walked into the house, her heart beating wildly. She nearly yelped when Mrs. Kanbara came out of the kitchen and greeted her.

"Izumi! It's nice to see you again!" the lady said happily, laughing. "Takuya, you didn't tell me she was coming over."

Takuya merely shrugged. "It's...a project."

Gathering her composure, Izumi smiled and murmured, "It's nice to see you again, too, Mrs. Kanbara. Shinya out?"

"Yes, you just missed him, actually." She sighed. "They all grow up so fast..."

Before she could burst out into laughter, Izumi was dragged off by Takuya.

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"So...um..."

Takuya lay on his bed, hands laced together behind his bed. "Hm?"

"What...should we do?"

Sounding a little alarmed, Takuya sputtered, "Wh-what?"

"For the project, I mean," Izumi said quickly.

He relaxed slightly. "Um, pipe cleaners?" _I think that's what _Kouichi_ said...and he's smart..._

Izumi must've noticed he had stolen the idea as she let out a muffled laugh and asked, "Okay, genius, do you have any?"

For the longest time, Takuya thought about it. _Pipe cleaners...what the hell are pipe cleaners, anyway? Oh well,_ he thought, letting out a sigh and muttering, "Nope?"

"You don't know?"

"Not sure. Never seen any, I think. Ask Shinya."

As pathetic as the conversation was, Izumi was enjoying every second of it. It seemed like ages since she had talked to Takuya, and...

Who knew? Maybe they could talk about other things?

"Um, Takuya...?" Izumi asked shyly. "Are you...going to the dance?"

"No."

Her face fell. "Takuya..."

"What?"

_Why is this happening to us? Why is this happening at all? Why couldn't it be Kouji, instead?_ Izumi let out a choked sob, shaking her head as she wiped her eyes. "Uh...d-do you have any string, then?"

"No."

"So then, what should we DO?" she asked, getting angrier by the second. Angry with herself for expecting more, angry with Takuya for not saying anything more. "And not about the project, okay? I mean about us! Why are you doing this, Takuya?" she yelled, suddenly bursting into tears. "It's not _fair!_ Just...please, can't you just talk to me?"

As Izumi continued crying, Takuya turned to his side, his back to her. Silently, he was crying along with her. He hated the pain. It was killing him, but it would have to be. "Stop crying," he whispered in a barely audible voice. Sitting up, he stated flatly, "We have the project to worry about."

Izumi burst into more tears, and Takuya bit back a groan. "Izumi, please, stop," he begged, standing up and walking over to her. "Just...please, stop!"

"I...I can't!"

Helplessly, Takuya sank onto his knees, his hands resting on her arms. Drawing a breath, he tried to keep his voice steady as he murmured, "I know I haven't been there for you much, I really...I really don't mean it! You know that, more than everyone! Izumi, I-"

"TAKUYA, DON'T DO IT!" Shinya yelled, throwing the door open and pouncing on his older brother as Takuya stood up and turned around.

Takuya whirled around to face Izumi just as Shinya hit him, and fell over from the impact, his lips colliding with Izumi's.

Tomoki entered the room a second later, covering his eyes. "Shinya...time yourself...better..." he declared, shuddering.

Shinya stood up, laughing sheepishly. "Oops?"

Slowly, Takuya pulled away from Izumi, licking his lips and inhaling slowly. _If anything happens to Izumi, I'll make sure to murder Shinya,_ he promised himself, turning to his little brother. "Okay, Shinya, you twerp, what was that about?" he growled.

As the two brothers argued, Izumi recovered from shock. Slowly, she met the eyes of a grinning Tomoki who gave her a thumbs up sign before calling Shinya and saying, "Come on! We need to go meet up with the others!"

Shinya winced. "Oh, right!" he said slowly, edging away from a murderous Takuya who slammed the door shut as soon as his brother ran off.

Sighing, Takuya turned to Izumi and apologized, "Listen, Izumi, about that, I-" He paused, blinking as she walked up to him with a smile.

"Just shut up," Izumi murmured, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into another kiss.

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Kouji sighed, sending a glance towards his brother's room. _They're too quiet. You don't think...? No! Kouji, stop it! You're scaring me...Kouichi's not that type,_ he told himself firmly, turning back to the finished project. "Cool. You game?"

"Hm?" Naoko asked, writing their names on the back of a sugar packet. "Um...a bit. Are you sure you won't get sick after eating all those sugar packets?" she asked, frowning.

"Of _course_ not!" Kouji declared, turning on the PS2 and unraveling the controller. "So...have you beat any?"

Naoko shrugged and replied, "I play a few of my brother's games now and then. Too lazy to become addicted."

Kouji grinned. "Cool, then I'll make you get addicted with my mad skills!"

Naoko rose an eyebrow, but nodded. "Sure, whatever."

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Kouichi sighed, banging his head on the table. He had finished, yes, but Kako was asleep.

On his bed.

It just wasn't right.

His mind momentarily wandered to Takuya and Izumi. _I wonder if those two are okay. I worry...very much,_ he thought with a sigh. "Hey, Duskmon?" he called out quietly. He didn't know why he had called Duskmon of the three that he knew, he just felt like it. "We'll get our spirits, right?"

Duskmon nodded, appearing in the shadows cast on the door. "No really?"

"What about Ranamon and the others? There's ten spirits..."

He received a wry smile. Sighing, Duskmon replied, "No one's really asked that besides the two of us. Lowemon knows, because Ophanimon told him. She doesn't trust _me_, though. Just goes to show why I shouldn't be working for you kids."

Kouichi shot a look at Kako. "Can you tell what she's thinking?"

"Yes, and you don't want to know."

"What is it?"

Duskmon thought a while before replying, "Things only a girl could dream of."

"Like...?"

Duskmon grunted and said nothing more.

Kouichi sighed. "Is it that bad?"

"Yes."

"Just tell me!"

Again, silence.

_Is he preparing a lie? Just great,_ Kouichi thought, rolling his eyes. "Whatever," he muttered, "it doesn't matter. So, anyway-"

"...if you wanted to know..."

"Yes?"

"Kouji's in her dream. And so are you."

Kouichi frowned. "Uh...that doesn't help, but sure..."

Duskmon groaned, then disappeared. _How clueless is he?_

"Hey!"

Reappearing, the spirit snapped, "What?"

Kouichi paused before asking, "Any news?"

"None. Oh...except...Blitzmon's joining us!"

The boy froze. "You mean..."

"Junpei decided he was too lazy to bother with Blitzmon at the moment, with no D-Tector and all, so Agunimon mentioned you had yours, and any time now, Junpei'll drop off that button that fell off in the Digital World, apparently."

Kouichi turned away from Duskmon with a sigh. _A button? Typical..._

"Are you going to wake her up?" Duskmon suddenly asked, intrigued with the human's unintentional staring at Kako.

"What?" Kouichi blinked a few times before the words sunk in. "Oh...yeah, I probably should, huh?"

_Have fun,_ Duskmon thought with a smirk, disappearing without a word.

And Kouichi winced. _He did that on purpose,_ he thought, walking up to Kako and tentatively placing a hand on her arm. "H-Hey, Kako...wake up."

Kako turned over, murmuring, "No, but I want that one..."

_What's she dreaming about? Chocolate?_ Kouichi sighed impatiently. "Kako, wake _up_," he snapped, whacking her shoulder lightly. _This is stupid. I should get Kouji. He'll know what to do._

"No...twins."

_NOW I'M WORRIED,_ the boy thought, eyes wide as he began to panic. "Couldn't she not mutter?" he whispered to himself in horror.

Before he could call for Kouji, however, Kako murmured with a sigh, "Mhm...yeah...of course. Twin-scented candles are preferred."

"What...are...twin-scented...candles?" Kouichi murmured aloud, confused.

Kako's eyes fluttered open. "Well, I call the-" She sat up and screamed. "GET OUT!" she shrieked, taking off her shoe and throwing it at him.

Kouichi yelped and caught the shoe before it crashed onto his desk. "Do you _mind?_ This is my room!"

"Oh..." she murmured, her eyes widening. "Gah! I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay," he mumbled in return.

Kako stood up and walked over to him. "Don't...tell me...you _finished_ it? Without me?" she exclaimed, slamming her hands on the desk. "Kouichi!"

He shrugged and shut his eyes. "You were sleeping."

"You're a real idiot, you know that? You could have woken me up!"

"You know the material well enough."

"It doesn't matter! If I fail-"

"You won't. You know the material better than I do."

"But-"

Standing up, Kouichi covered her mouth with a hand. "Just. Don't. Argue," he told her, twitching slightly. Drawing a breath, he continued, "And if you want to, you can bug Kouji and game a little."

"...Kouichi..."

"What?"

"You could have woken me up."

"Kako, just let it go," Kouichi snapped, heading for the door

She let out a growl and grabbed his arm. "No! I mean it, Kouichi! You're too nice for your own good!"

Letting out a sigh, Kouichi turned to her. "So...would you rather I be like Kanaye?" he asked slowly, backing her up until she fell on the bed. "To tell you the truth, Kako, I'm confused myself."

Kako squeaked as he pressed her against the bed, shutting her eyes. "Let...let me go," she demanded weakly as he grabbed her wrists to pin her down.

"Then tell me, why are you doing this to me?"

Opening her eyes, Kako winced. He sounded so desperate, so lost. But telling him meant he would get hurt, wouldn't it? _That's what Kouji said. We have to go on with this...for a while longer, Kouichi. Just a while longer,_ she thought, whimpering as the distance between them grew smaller.

Kouichi's grip tightened. "So tell me!" he hissed, his face inches from her own. "Please, Kako..."

At that moment, the door opened and the two froze. Kouji's gaze hardened on his older brother. "What...are you doing?"

Immediately, Kouichi let go and walked out, shouldering his brother. Kako sat on the bed, trembling as Kouji approached her. Drawing a breath and forcing a smile, she stood up and said, "Hey. You didn't start gaming without me, did you?"

Kouji frowned. "What was he doing, Kako?"

"Let's go, then!" Kako exclaimed, grabbing hold of his arm and dragging him to the living room. Naoko sat on the couch, sighing and staring at the T.V. screen. "Hey...you started without me!"

Kouichi sat on the ground, ignoring everyone else's presence as he continued to race the chocobo. Naoko glanced up at the clock before shaking her head. "Well, I'd love to stay longer, but I have other things to do. See you guys tomorrow." Just as she shut the door, she waved and said sweetly, "Bye, Kouichi!"

Kako clenched her fists, keeping a perfectly straight face. _'Bye, Kouichi!' _her mind thought in disgust. _I'll make him regret everything!_

"Oy, Kouichi, let me play!" Kouji demanded.

"Whatever," muttered the older twin, sighing and taking out his memory card. "I'm going for a walk."

"Sure. Kako, you need to help me! I can't get the stupid materia..."

Kouichi walked outside, glancing behind his shoulder sadly. _Idiot, that's what you are, Kouichi. You're an idiot._

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Izumi burst into laughter. "Takuya, that was brilliant!"

Smiling slightly, Takuya chuckled, "Well, he _is_ Kouji."

"But punching him!" she laughed, clutching her sides.

Takuya burst into laughter as well. "You know," he commented as the laughter faded, "in all technicalities, I should be nice to him, but rude to Kouichi. After all, Kanaye wants me to be the opposite of what I was to my friends, right? But for some reason...it just makes me angrier around Kouji. I think it's because of what he's doing to Kouichi. We just wanted a little revenge-maybe find his hat, dip it in paint. Or hide his textbooks. But Kouji's taking this and turning into...some kind of game..."

Izumi fell silent, her eyes shut. "I think he's confusing everyone before making his next move. If I didn't know better, I'd say Kouichi's really blind to it all."

"Of _course_ he is. You know...he's taking..."

"Naoko to the dance, yeah. I asked her to ask him about that. Apparently, the entire class thought Kako and Kouichi were going out before," she replied, her eyes opening to reveal her amusement.

"TAKUYA!" Shinya yelled, banging on the door. "TOMOKI AND I NEED TO TALK TO YOU TWO!"

Takuya twitched slightly as his little brother threw the door open, walking in without a care in the world. Immediately, Shinya stuck his face in front of his brother's and questioned, "You didn't do anything, did you? No evil stuff? No torturing? No making out!"

Tomoki sighed and Izumi reddened. "Shinya..." the boy at the door groaned. "You know, you're just provoking Takuya to murder you."

"Hush!" the younger boy demanded, turning back to his brother. "Well? Answer the question!"

"I know where you live, and will murder you if you don't stop playing 'cop.' What do you think the answer is, Shinya? NO!" Takuya yelled, leaping up to strangle his brother.

Izumi yelped and scrambled to her feet, grabbing a hold of his shirt. "Takuya! What kind of older brother are you?"

"The Kouji kind!"

"...well, that's great..." Izumi said with a sigh, letting go of Takuya and instead holding onto their DNA model. "Just don't kill the project."

Tomoki walked around the two bickering brothers and examined the project. "You're just going to let them fight?" he asked, adjusting a toothpick on their model. "They'll go on forever, you know."

But the girl merely smiled. "As long as he's back to normal, it really doesn't matter."

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A/N-

You know, writing romancy parts while listening to 'Christmas Night' makes me wanna cry. .:sniffs:. I love you, Takuya, I really do, but you have to suffer a BIT.

Thank You for the reviews-

_GemmaniGirl, Winter's Light, Ruki Minamoto, Light's Blue Blossom, Snowy Leopardess_

About that comment about hating Kouji, I don't REALLY mean it that much, but I _do_ hate his personality. He can be such a jerk sometimes.

I'm going to use Japanese digimon names from now on. I've confused myself to death, worrying about it. Maybe a few of them will be English, though. I'll have a list next chapter.

If I happen to incorporate homework into this fanfic, it's because I'm failing a subject and this is the way I remember most things-writing it in a funny/amusing/dramatic way that involves characters I can semi-relate to. So, please, excuse my idiocy. Finals approach with doom.

Review or Flame.


	33. Confusion

Disclaimer-Almost done, but still don't own Digimon.

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Confusion

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Kouichi kicked a nearby can angrily before his face softened and he picked it up. Walking over to a nearby trashcan, he threw it in and sighed. "Kouji...is a bad influence. I pity any little sibling of his," he muttered, taking out his D-Tector and gazing at it for the longest time.

He didn't want to be in the real world anymore. He hated it. With all the digimon that had come, it might as well be the Digital World.

But it wasn't.

Kouichi sighed again and looked up at the darkening sky. No ray of light poked through, only large, gray, ominous clouds. _What I wouldn't do for one of Saito's lessons,_ he thought glumly. _Lessons, a good book, or the Digital World. Preferably the last option._

Making his way into the Saito bookshop, Kouichi bit his lower lip, suddenly worried. It looked emptier than usual. Books were knocked off the shelves, lying astray on the floor. There wasn't a faint sound of chatter from the cafe, either.

"Mr. Saito?" Kouichi called out, straining his ears to hear any sound of anything, even a mouse.

"...Where is it, old man?"

"Not in my possession. It never was."

"I told you, my patience wears thin. _Where is it_?"

"Ah, Kouichi, nice of you to join us," Mr. Saito greeted him with a smile. "How are you, today?"

Kanaye whirled around, eyes narrowing on Kouichi angrily. Smirking, he pulled the sword away from Mr. Saito and pointed it at Kouichi, sneering, "Flukes don't happen twice."

"I'm not in the mood, Kanaye. Now bug off before-" Kouichi tried to think of something in his head, but nothing came.

Kanaye interrupted him right away, "Empty threat. You can't do much."

The second boy shrugged. "Never said I could. Now if you don't mind, I need to find something to read," Kouichi said casually, heading off towards the nearest shelf.

"Like a diary?"

Kouichi halted and turned his head back. "Whose?"

Flipping out a notebook, Kanaye stared at the ceiling, a smirk still glued on his face as he said with mock innocence, "Oh, I don't know...Kako's?"

A frown appeared on Kouichi's face. Curiously, he stepped towards Kanaye, asking, "Where did you get it?"

"Somewhere."

"Hm. And I can be sure it's hers?" Out of his peripheral vision, Kouichi could see Mr. Saito frown. _Makes sense. Not everyday you see me trying to get a hold of someone's diary,_ Kouichi thought, amused by his own odd behavior. "What would I have to do for it?"

"Nothing. Just make sure you read it," Kanaye said airily, tossing it to Kouichi. Making his way for the door, he added, "Oh, make sure you read the latest entry. You'll love it."

Kouichi's grip tightened around the notebook as he turned to Mr. Saito. "Sir."

"Kouichi..."

"No, I'm not going to read it."

But Mr. Saito shook his head vigorously. "No, he's right. You should."

Kouichi was surprised. Shaking his head in a hope to better understand, he blurted, "What? Read it?"

The man sighed, "Yes. A surprise, I know, but you have to. Don't even think of giving it back, either. She'll know you read it."

Staring at the diary in his hands, Kouichi swallowed, pondering his choices. Either give the diary back without reading it, read it and never give it back, or read it and give it back, but suffer the consequences. "I..."

Mr. Saito waited for Kouichi to finish, gazing at his shoes quietly.

"I can't," Kouichi finished miserably, his hand dropping to his side. "If it's hers, she wouldn't want me to know, right? And it belongs to her, so I have to give it back. So..."

Sighing, Mr. Saito nodded in understanding. "If you say so."

"But, anyway, book!" Kouichi confirmed, marching to the nearest bookshelf and picking a book off. "Here, this one."

"Are you sure...?"

"Huh?"

An amused smile appeared on Mr. Saito's face. "You seem to be out of it today, Kouichi. You want to read a romance novel?"

Kouichi looked down at the book and whacked his head. "Um...on second thought," he said, laughing nervously as he put the book back. _Come on, good book, good book!_

He sighed and walked past a few more bookshelves, all containing books of genres he didn't read. "Hey, Mr. Saito," he suddenly called out, stopping at a bookshelf. Picking a book off of it, he asked, "You said your cousin...Marise...he writes?"

"He _did_. He died."

"Oh, right...was he good?"

"Yes, a wonderful writer. I'm sure you would love his works."

Kouichi smiled to himself and picked the nearest book. Walking over to the counter, he handed the book to Mr. Saito and said, "This one, then!"

Mr. Saito opened his mouth, but shut it a second later, smiling. "Alright..."

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Junpei knocked on the door, staring at the button with a sigh. "Darn, maybe I should have put it in a box? Oh well..."

Kouji opened the door, glaring at Junpei. "What?"

"Kouichi home?"

"No, that bastard isn't home."

Junpei blinked as Kouji slammed the door shut. "When...did this happen?" Knocking on the door again, Junpei yelled, "Did you two have some sibling fights? Because I just happen to know a _great_ therapist-"

"WE DON'T NEED ONE!"Kouji yelled from inside.

Dazed, Junpei was about to head back home when he found Kouichi in front of him.

"Hey Junpei. You have the button?" Kouichi asked, book in hand.

"Uh...you know," Junpei started sheepishly, "you should really tell Kouji to be more polite."

Kouichi shrugged and held out his hand. "Button?"

Junpei handed him the button and walked off, grumbling, "Some people just won't change."

At this, Kouichi smiled slightly, reverting back poker face as he entered the house. "What was that about?" he asked his brother, heading straight into the kitchen.

"Nothing," Kouji snapped, sitting on the couch, arms folded across his chest. Under his breath, he added, "Bastard."

Kako sighed and stood up. "I'm going home. Do you want me to take the project, Kouichi?"

"No, I got it," he replied, coming out of the kitchen, cookie in hand. Eyes resting on his younger twin, he asked, "What's _his_ problem?"

"Um...no clue!" Kako laughed nervously, edging towards the door. "I'll...see you both tomorrow, bye!"

Kouichi frowned and turned to his brother. He quickly put Kako's diary in his room before marching out into the living room. "Okay, so what's your problem, Kouji? I thought I was bad...but you're worse," declared the older twin, taking a bite of the cookie. "Or...oh, never mind, then..."

"_Now_ you realize?"

Sighing, Kouichi shrugged, sitting beside his brother and opening the book. "Well...I didn't do anything to her, okay?"

"Now I _really_ wonder," Kouji growled, glaring at his brother. Angrily, he snapped, "Can't you stop reading for a second?"

"What's wrong with reading?"

"You aren't listening!"

"I can multitask."

"That isn't the point, dammit!"

Placing down the book, Kouichi turned to glare at his brother, saying calmly, "Listen, I'd really like to read. I haven't been able to get past the first word, okay? Now would you _shut up_ and go tell someone who really _cares_."

Kouji's face hardened. "So you don't care about her?"

The older twin was surprised. Shaking his head, he muttered, "She's your girlfriend. I didn't do anything, I already told you. You know that, too. Do you really think I would?" Kouji fell silent, looking away. "Glad you have at least _that_ much faith in me. Really though, Kouji, I wouldn't," Kouichi assured him softly.

_That's not the point_, Kouji realized, letting out a silent groan as he stood up. _I'm jealous that she likes him and not me._ Yanking off his bandana and throwing it on the ground, Kouji headed to his room, feeling drained. "Bastard," he muttered, shutting the door and falling back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "Dammit, Kouji...why are you such an idiot?"

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"Well, Marise sure knew how to write," Kouichi chuckled, reading the part over again. "Naoto never saw that coming, did he?"

"GODDAMMIT!"

Twitching, Kouichi yelled, "KOUJI STOP CURSING! It's getting annoying..."

In turn, there was silence.

_Now I'm definitely worried. Why is he acting like this?_ Letting out a sigh, Kouichi shrugged. "Well, whatever it is, Kouji," he murmured, flipping the page, "you better get better, soon."

----------------------------------------------

"GAAAAAh!" Kouji yelled, running around in a frenzy. "Don't tell me I-"

"It's in my locker," Kouichi responded, book in hand. Eyes glued to the page, he fumbled around with his lock before he sighed, put the book down and opened it properly. "Here," he muttered, handing the project to Kouji. Handing his own model, he instructed, "And give Kako this one. And make sure Ogata's tortured _properly_."

Raising an eyebrow, Kouji nodded, took both models and ran off to find Kako. Now alone, Kouichi sighed, shut his locker and picked the book up once more.

"-Takuya!"

"The project?"

"Um, yeah, I have it."

"Okay. Later."

"W-Wait!"

Kouichi froze and stopped in his tracks. Peeking around the corner, he found Izumi and Takuya. _Wait...when did this happen?_ Frowning, he lowered the book and listened.

"What?" Takuya asked with a sigh.

Izumi was trembling. "U-uhm," she murmured, blushing. "W-well, uh...a-"

Takuya frowned. "I don't have time for random stutters."

"What about yesterday!" Izumi yelled in question. "You-"

He snorted and simply replied, "I don't know what you're talking about, okay? We did the project. So what? Do you mind? I don't want to be late to class."

Izumi suddenly fell on her knees, choked sobs escaping her mouth. Wincing, Kouichi walked over, trying to ignore the passing Takuya. "Izumi?" he asked softly, bending to her level. "Don't take what he said into heart."

"I-it hurts!" she cried, leaning forward to hug Kouichi. Sighing, he nodded, rubbing her back soothingly. "Kouichi...what do I do?"

"Go with it. I told you, I still have my plan, right?"

Pulling back, Izumi nodded, sniffing and wiping her eyes. "O-okay. I'll trust you."

"Glad to know it. Now hurry up. You'll be late to class," he told her softly, a smile on his face.

Hugging him once more, Izumi nodded and ran off. Kouichi let out a sigh and headed to his own classroom, thinking about his conversation with Kouji yesterday. "He didn't really think I'd try anything, did he? I mean...what could I try?" he wondered aloud, opening the door.

_How dense are you?_ Duskmon growled.

_Not very. I just don't get it,_ Kouichi replied, sitting down and sighing. "I'll never get the concept of love. It makes no sense," he declared aloud, flipping open his book.

"And that leads to thousands of heartbreaks a year! How are you, Kouichi?" Ms. Kawai asked, taking a bite of an apple.

"Fine, thanks. You?"

"Could be better. What book is that?" she suddenly asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kouichi showed her the cover, then said, "Secrets of Yuto."

"Nice choice. Now put it away and listen."

Refraining from grumbling, Kouichi did so and asked, "So...do I get an assignment?"

"Twenty proverbs by tomorrow."

"Twenty?" Kouichi repeated. "My own?"

Ms. Kawai smiled and nodded, "Oh, go ahead! But not all of them have to be your own. Maybe one or two?"

"Random?"

"Sure."

"Okay. Any other assignments?"

"Glad you asked!" Ms. Kawai said, taking a math book and dropping it in front of him. "Finish chapter ten by the end of this week."

"Just the written exercises? None of the tests?"

"Just the written exercises," Rai confirmed. "And now, to drown myself in coffee..."

Kouichi wrinkled his nose as she walked off. _Coffee's disgusting._

_No really?_ Duskmon glanced at the book. "Marise..."

"Hm?"

"He's annoying, too."

"Who?"

"Marise. Marise...Saito...all of them. They're annoying, pesky vermin."

"Duskmon..."

Growling, Duskmon declared loudly, "They are!"

Lowemon appeared as well. "You mean _you_ are," he corrected the first digimon.

"No, you both are!" Agunimon chirped happily. "Damn, Izumi and Takuya were so cute yesterday."

"You _spied_ on them?" Kouichi demanded, glaring at the fire spirit.

Agunimon shook his head. "Observed for trouble, Kouichi! 'Spied' is so...vulgar!" he said, mocking offense.

Rolling his eyes, Kouichi went back to the book.

"Hah, you should have seen Kouji and Kako. They were getting things heated up!" Blitzmon laughed.

The other three digimon glared at him as Kouichi slammed his book down. "I really could care _less_ about my brother's love life. Do you _mind_?"

Blitzmon grumbled, but said nothing more. Instead, Duskmon suggested, "Let's hunt Kanaye down and you can digivolve and we'll tear him to shreds!" Kouichi ignored him and went back to his book.

"FYI, blood-thirsty creep, he's missing his fractal code!" Agunimon snapped.

Lowemon bashed the other three over the head. "Let him work. And let us plot alone."

"Wait-plot what?" Kouichi exclaimed, slamming his book down again.

"Nothing...much."

"Tell me!"

"Uh..."

Agunimon twitched. "You weren't supposed to tell! You're about as reliable as Bokomon!"

Kouichi frowned and repeated, "Weren't supposed to tell what? Tell me! Or I'll let Duskmon possess me and go on a rampage!" _Not really,_ Kouichi thought in the back of his mind.

Lowemon grumbled and muttered, "Fine, fine...it's for the party."

"Party?"

"DANCE," Agunimon corrected loudly. "There _is_ no party!"

"Well, masquerade, party, same thing!" Duskmon snapped. "Stop being so-"

"No one asked you!"

"No one wants to talk to you!"

"Say what?" Agunimon screamed, lunging at Duskmon as Kouichi returned to his book with a sigh. "Say that again, loser!"

"NO ONE WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!" Duskmon yelled louder, blade drawn out.

_What's the damage they could inflict? Harmless_, Kouichi thought, flipping the page. He shook his head and wiped his watery eyes. "D-digimon, why am I crying?" he croaked to himself as the spirits began to whack each other. _Why can't I stop?_

----------------------------------------------

"Weeeeh! It's so double helix-ish!" Kako squealed, tracing the model with a finger. "Dang, Izumi, yours looks good...to eat, anyway."

Izumi flashed a glare at her cousin. "No way." As an afterthought, she added, "Though maybe Shinya took one when I wasn't looking..."

Kouji sighed and looked at his brother's empty seat. _He'll always get the last laugh,_ he thought glumly. _Always. Whether he means it or not. It isn't fair..._

"Kouji?"

Kouji looked up at Kako, blinking in confusion. "Oh...yeah?"

"Are you okay? You look spacey..."

"OF COURSE I'M OKAY!" Kouji yelled loudly, kicking the chair in front of him and then placing his feet up on his desk while leaning back with a loud sigh. Grinning, he muttered, "Life is good."

Mr. Ogata hovered over him. "Mr. Minamoto..."

"Yessir!"

"Put your feet down now."

"Ooh, is this the part where I get kicked out of class?"

"No," Mr. Ogata snapped, "this is the part where you and the rest of the class get ready for PE and you do pushups until the entire class finishes their mile."

Kouji sighed grumpily. "Whatever," he muttered as the entire class began to groan.

----------------------------------------------

"Eh...I need to go for a walk," Kouichi muttered with a sigh, sitting back and leaning in his chair. As if on cue, Ms. Kawai entered the room, downing a cup of coffee. Before she could get out to get more, Kouichi yelled, "Wait! Ms. Kawai, can I...um...get out for a while?"

Turning to him, Rai nodded. "Yeah...hurry, before I pass out because of coffee overdose. Ugh, this stinks."

Kouichi smiled gratefully and raced out, book in hand. _No bickering digimon, no teachers drunk off coffee, no stupid teachers, no over-possessive brothers, no annoying girls, no blackmailed friends, no crying girls...man, life is great right now,_ Kouichi thought with a sigh. "Now w-woah...is...Kouji doing pushups alone?"

Heading over, Kouichi squatted down in front of his brother. "Oy."

Kouji looked up, an annoyed glare plastered on his face. "WHAT?"

"Chill down," Kouichi muttered, spotting Ogata on the field. Luckily, the trashcan hid him from view. "Okay, so why's everyone else running while you're doing pushups?"

"A punishment, I guess," Kouji muttered in disgust. "I hate that freaking..."

"Kouji..."

"What? You got out lucky! I had to _ask_ if I could be kicked out of class!"

Kouichi sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're supposed to make a dramatic exit, not _ask_. Honestly, you can be stupider than I think you are sometimes."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing." Kouichi took a seat beside his brother. "You know...you might as well do pushups to keep your muscles warm instead of just stay there like that," he commented.

"I can take it!" snapped the younger boy.

Kouichi shrugged and muttered, "If you say so..."

_Tell that stupid Lowemon that I'm the better of us!_ Duskmon's voice cut through his head.

Groaning, Kouichi looked up at Duskmon. "Solve it yourself and stop acting like a three year old!"

"Hey...I just remember something Lobomon told me!" Agunimon suddenly exclaimed, looking at Kouji.

Kouji looked up. "Ugh...what?"

"If I quote correctly, 'Kouichi, when you suffer, I suffer with you.' Something like that! It was funny. But then...when I started laughing...he muttered about me being an idiot." The warrior of fire's face fell. "I don't really remember."

Kouji grumbled some more and Kouichi bit his lip. "Oh...that..."

"That?" Kouji asked, glaring at his brother.

"Yeah...that," Kouichi replied softly.

Agunimon frowned and asked, "Wait...so...why did he laugh at me?"

Duskmon, Lowemon and Blitzmon shot him a glare. "SHUT UP, AGUNIMON!" they yelled, hitting him on the head.

Agunimon fell on the ground, dizzily staring up at the clouds. "Kouichi...why...do you have to have...two spirits?"

Kouichi shrugged, smiling slightly.

"SEVEN MINUTES!" the twins heard Ogata yell.

Standing up immediately, Kouichi looked at his brother, then Duskmon. "Hey...can you help him cheat?"

"Why are you asking me?" Duskmon inquired crossly.

"Because Agunimon's too Takuya, Blitzmon'll take forever to decide, Lowemon's my good side, and you're the only one who'll actually cheat. So?"

"I don't need help," Kouji stated flatly. "ESPECIALLY from _that_."

Duskmon snorted, "I'm not helping anyway."

Kouichi's face fell, but he nodded. "If you're both sure..." he muttered, slumping his shoulders. "Well...I'm heading back, then. I'm supposed to stay out of Ogata's sight."

Kouji nodded, doing a pushup. "Have fun doing nothing," he muttered bitterly.

_Thanks for the guilt, both of you,_ Kouichi thought, angry and hurt as he headed back to the room. What had ever happened to all those days when he and Kouji would help each other? It didn't seem fair. Four years wasn't long enough for both of them to start hating each other, was it? Kouichi didn't even hate his brother.

"Sorry," Duskmon muttered.

Kouichi looked up in surprise. "Sorry?"

Duskmon snorted, "Yes, I'm sorry. But it's not like he deserves help, anyway."

"Duskmon...you don't know him. He...Kouji's not bad...I'm sure he's just going through a tough time," Kouichi said slowly. "Like he said on the Digimoon...he feels my pain and I can feel his. I think..." _Or is it just because...I'm having a hard time too?_

"You're too nice for your own good," Duskmon muttered. "Stop it. You'll get used too often."

Lowemon nodded and affirmed, "He has a point. Kako was right, yesterday."

"I'm fine now, right? No one's used me, have they?" Kouichi demanded in return. The digimon fell silent. "What, am I being used right now? Because-"

"Of course you are, you stupid boy," Duskmon hissed. "This entire plot is using you, and you continue with it as if everything is fine! What kind of idiot does that?"

Lowemon shook his head sadly as Duskmon disappeared in a cloud of black. "This is one of the times when Duskmon is right, Kouichi," he murmured.

But, forcing a smile, Kouichi continued, "As I was saying, I don't care. They can use me, as long as they don't use anyone else."

"...You really are an idiot," Agunimon muttered, shaking his head and walking off. Blitzmon stared a while before following Agunimon.

"Well, aren't you going to leave, too?" Kouichi asked, opening the book.

"No...Kanaye..."

Kouichi looked up from the book, whirling around in time to avoid a hit from Kanaye. "What the-" he started, falling back and scrambling to his feet before Kanaye attempted to kick him. "What do you want?"

"Well? Did you read it?" Kanaye asked, eyes glittering.

"N-no..."

"Do you plan to?"

Kouichi stopped. '_Do you plan to?' Do I? I don't know myself,_ he thought, eyes misting over. "I..."

"Yes or no, Kimura. A simple question."

"I...I don't know," he confessed softly, shutting his eyes. "It all depends, I guess."

Kanaye laughed, "On what? Kako's life?"

"What are you saying?" Kouichi growled, eyes now open and narrowing in on Kanaye.

"Nothing, but if I have to, her life will be at stake," Kanaye said airily. "So...read it before something really happens."

Turning around, Kouichi stormed back to the room, ignoring Kanaye's laughter. Pulling out Kako's diary, he stared at it for the longest time, his eyes glazing over. "N-no...I can't...but..."

_Do you really love her?_ Duskmon questioned, appearing by his side.

Kouichi blinked back tears. "It's...I can't open it. It isn't right..."

"So...you'd risk her life?" another voice asked.

Kouichi looked up and found Ms. Kawai staring down at the diary. "M-Ms. Kawai, you aren't saying that I sh-"

"Actually, yes, I am. I'm positive Kako prefers her life to the diary. She'll understand. Now shut up and read it. It's class work," Rai ordered.

_What are they teaching these days?_ Swallowing, Kouichi prayed to be forgiven as he opened the notebook.

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A/N-

Yey! Okay, from this chapter on, a mix of Japanese and English Digimon names. Aw, I feel like crying. Poor Kouji...having to stay in pushup position for over seven minutes. I believe that should be equivalent to my hundred pushups that I never complete (maybe that would take me twenty five minutes?). .:frown:. Huh. Sorry, Kouji.

I was listening to 'Stand by Me Hito Natsu no Bouken (A Day In The Boy's Life VersionPromised Land).' Maeda Ai sings it, and it's really depressing in my opinion (because I haven't bothered checking the lyrics), so Kouichi gets depression! I just realized...I've been listening to music all day! Wow.

So, how was the chapter? I don't mean for the Kouichi and Kouji torture, but it's needed for the plot to move on. Oh, and the quote's from 'The Brother's Yin And Yang' episode. Depressing episode, I recorded the rerun Saturday.

Thank You for the reviews-

_The Light's Refrain, Winter's Light, Lady Hikari-Yami, K.K., Snowy Leopardess, GemmaniGirl_

I hope you're having fun reading this? About...hopefully only five-ish chapters to go.

Review or Flame.


	34. Ruined Souls

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

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Ruined Souls

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Kouichi shut his locker with a sigh. "This makes me wish I never followed Kouji that day," he murmured to himself.

"What?"

Looking up, Kouichi winced. "Hey...Kouji. What's up?"

Ignoring his aching arms, Kouji shrugged and muttered, "Nothing." The two brothers fell silent as Kouji opened his locker and threw in his books. Then Kouji sighed and looked at Kouichi as he shut his locker. "Sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"For refusing your help."

Kouichi swallowed with some difficulty. "It's...fine," he lied.

"I'm really sorry."

_Stop sounding so miserable...idiot,_ the older twin thought. "Don't worry about it."

"Kouichi, weren't you paying attention?" Kouji snapped. His face fell as he continued, "You're still hurting..."

Kouichi shook his head and forced a smile, "Nope. I'm fine. So...um, Izumi? Are those gumdrops?"

Shoving the DNA model at him, Izumi begged, "Please keep it out of her reach!"

Kako's eyes widened as she ran over. "But that isn't fair!" she declared, pointing at Kouichi. "He's too tall!"

Kouichi put the project in his locker. "Anyway, later," he said, a smile still on his face.

Kako pouted and muttered, "But I'm hungry."

Stopping and opening his locker again, Kouichi took out a small bag of candy and shoved it at his brother, warning him, "Make sure she doesn't eat too much."

Kouji's hand tightened around the bag as he watched the older twin walk off. "Damn him..."

"Candy! Chocolate! FOOD!" cheered Kako, happily holding out her hand and waiting for Kouji to give her candy. When she saw he made no motion, she sang, "Gimme, gimme, gimme!"

"Take it," the bandana boy muttered, shoving it at her and storming in the opposite direction. For the first time in a long time, Kouji truly wished to be alone.

And he couldn't understand why.

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'_Dad won't talk to me. Hideki keeps yelling. I don't understand. Mom wouldn't want us to move. Why are we moving?_'

Kouichi shook his head and shivered, his eyes shut. A pained expression appeared on his face. "Why did she move?" he whispered, opening his eyes and pulling his jacket closer around him.

It was an unusually sunny day in February, but the winds were still blistering cold. Leaning against the wall, Kouichi sighed and muttered, "I've been thinking...if Kouji's feeling so down, wouldn't Lobomon have appeared by now? And...why does everyone want me to read the diary."

Lowemon shook his head. He made a note to himself to keep from answering the first question. "It makes one wonder. No matter how you build them, destinies intertwine, becoming something you can't always control. Your destiny may be determined by the simplest of actions. Think about it. Kanaye never said how much you had to read," he said slowly.

Snapping his fingers, Kouichi slung his backpack to the ground, digging out the diary. "Duh, that was obvious! I just read the first entry!" he exclaimed. He felt light once more, as if the chains had been lifted.

Then they came back.

"B-but...it's...still wrong."

"Would you rather her life be at stake?"

_Point taken_, Kouichi thought dismally, flipping the notebook open. "Random page...appear! Oh...cool. This should be informative," he muttered, scanning through.

'_Hideki told me today. Since Mom died, Dad's been growing grumpier. He hardly talks to us. He ignores me completely. It's strange. He's our dad. Shouldn't he take care of us? Like Mom made him promise... _

Dad's been yelling at Hideki more often, too. He won't take me anywhere, either. I miss Mom...

I still remember what she told me. Then...it's my fault she died, isn't it? I wonder how Izumi is. And why did she have me pick them? But...why did she have to die? Stupid parallels.

Hideki even thinks it's my fault. He told me, yesterday. And then Dad came in and started yelling. And...I think Hideki's starting to drink. His girlfriend...what's her name...? Um...whatever it is. She told me he is. But Rai came over yesterday! She had a project with Hideki! She gave me chocolate, too...but...but Dad threw it away last time that happened...So I hid it under the bed this time!

I miss everyone back at Shibuya. Dad won't even let me use the phone, so I can't even call Kouichi. Sheesh, and what about Izumi? No contact! And Gramps...'

The page cut off there. Kouichi let out a sigh and shut the book. "Key words are parallel, pick, promise, Rai, Izumi, and...even back then she couldn't _not_ mention chocolate. Good grief!"

"Hm...she didn't forget to mention _you_," Lowemon observed in an amused tone.

Kouichi shrugged indifferently, "Well...we talked a lot back then. Her mom was really nice. I never saw her dad, though..."

"Maybe you should have that as a keyword, too?"

"Oh...true...but it doesn't matter. I should give it back, now."

There was a pause before Lowemon murmured quietly, "Kouichi, I think you should read more."

"What?" Kouichi exclaimed in surprise. "Lowemon!"

"Just _one_ more page...the next one...or the one before! Or another random page!" pleaded the warrior of darkness.

Surrendering, Kouichi opened the book. _I can't believe I'm doing this..._

-------------------------------------

Kouji leaned against the wall, gazing at the basketball courts where two boys were playing a game. The thuds of the ball bouncing against the ground echoed into his ears. His eyes were glued on the ball, following its movement. _Up...down...up...down...that's all my life is,_ he realized, shutting his eyes.

"Well, if it isn't Minamoto."

"Yoritomo, I wish," Kouji muttered in turn, cracking an eye open.

"Ah, so you do. Who wouldn't want to be from such a prestigious line," Kanaye sneered. "Other than those who aren't already."

"Shut up and bug someone else."

Kanaye laughed, "Like Kako? I've had my fun with her for the week."

Kouji's eyes narrowed on the boy dangerously. "What? What do you mean?"

A smirk appeared on Kanaye's face. Casually, he answered, "Oh, you'll see..."

"TELL ME!" Kouji shouted, jumping to his feet and preparing to attack Kanaye.

He never got the chance. A second later, he found himself lying on the ground, vision blurry, head hurting as if it exploded. Kanaye's foot was on his stomach. Slowly, Kanaye applied pressure with a smile and said, "Well, that would ruin the fun, wouldn't it? I must say, though..."

Kouji let out a small yelp as Kanaye yanked him up, then punched him down. "Your brother actually proved a challenge and _beat_ me. You...who actually are involved in a martial art, can't even match up to one _tenth_ of my strength. And everyone thinks you can beat Kouichi. Hah, that's rich..."

On one knee, Kouji slowly tried to regain his normal breathing pattern. "Y-You're a liar...I can beat...beat him..."

"Then let's see some proof, Minamoto. Oh, and about Kako..."

Kouji looked up weakly.

Kanaye began to laugh, "I never did anything to her directly, if that's what you thought."

Swallowing, Kouji tried to stand up. "Damn...bastard..." he muttered, collapsing a second later, drained of any strength.

"Kouji, you weren't-" Kako stopped in her tracks at the sight of Kanaye. Her eyes darted to Kouji, who lay on the ground, unmoving. The bag in her hand dropped. "K-...Kouji!" she yelled, running to his side. "Oh...no...Kanaye, dammit! What's your problem?" she demanded angrily, tears flowing.

"I'd call for some help, wouldn't you?" he laughed in turn, walking off.

"H-hey! Get back here!" Helplessly, Kako looked around. The court was now empty. "Kouji...hang on," she murmured. _Please...hang on._

-------------------------------------

Kouichi began to choke. A sharp jolt of pain ran through his hand. "What the-"

Lowemon frowned. "Kouji, I believe."

Trying not to panic, Kouichi looked around. "Where?" he demanded.

"I'm not sure..."

The boy ran, eyes searching for any sign of his brother. While trying to remain calm, he asked, "You don't think he got hurt, do you?"

"Well, why else would you feel that?" Lowemon snapped.

Even more worried, Kouichi turned the corner to find Kako kneeling by an unconscious Kouji. "Kouji! Kako...what...what happened?"

Kako gazed at him wide-eyed. "I...I think Kanaye..."

_Kanaye...? But Kouji should have been able to...but...stop thinking, Kouichi!_ Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Kouichi snapped, "Go get a teacher! I'll see what I can do here."

"But-"

"Just go!"

Kako nodded and ran off.

Kouichi checked his brother's pulse, biting his lip as he did. "Kouji...you better be okay..."

"Nn..."

"Kouji?"

"L-...leave me alone," Kouji demanded weakly, gasping for breath and opening his eyes. "I don't need...your help!"

"Well pretend I'm someone else, then!" Kouichi snapped. "Save your breath," he ordered as his brother opened his mouth again. "What did Kanaye do to you?"

Kouji drew a breath. "I'm not dying, am I?"

"I _hope_ not. No s-I mean...no knife, right?"

The younger twin's voice was raspy, "No...just knocked the air out of me...he kicks hard."

Kouichi nodded. "Don't talk anymore. Can you stand?"

Kouji attempted to get up, but Kouichi pushed him back down. "Actually, don't. We'll wait."

_Make up your damn mind,_ Kouji thought, feeling his vision fade. "If that's the case...wake me up when someone comes..." he whispered, shutting his eyes.

-------------------------------------

"Is he okay?"

"I heard he got beaten up."

"You don't think the upper classmen-"

"No, someone from our class."

"Kouichi?"

"He's too weak! Sheesh, have you ever seen him even _kick_?"

"No, but they're brothers."

"Do you want to stop talking about people behind their _backs_?" Kouichi spat venomously.

The two boys froze and turned to him, laughing nervously. "Er...sorry?" the first boy offered.

Kouichi walked past them, his blood boiling. _I'm _not_ weak_, he told himself, trying to register the recent happenings into his head. _And I was just finishing the second page...oh...great, the diary! I have to give her back the diary. _Now_ they can call me weak._

He groaned, rubbing his head as he entered the nurse's office, taking a seat beside the bed. "Kouji...and I thought he wouldn't have to ever get stuck in the hospital...or nurse's office," he muttered to himself.

"Is...is he okay?" Kako asked tentatively, walking into the room.

Kouichi nodded. "I'm pretty sure. And...um...Kako?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you carry your diary around in your backpack?"

"N-no..."

"Then how did Kanaye get his hands on it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he tossed the notebook to her.

Kako's face paled. "TH-that...he..."

Kouichi plugged his ears as Kako screamed.

-------------------------------------

"Yeah...he's fine. No, Mom, don't come over. I'll take care of it, I promise!" Kouichi said hastily as soon as his mother offered to come home to pick them up. "Yes, I'll call if we _do_ need help...bye. Yeah, I know...bye, Mom."

He sighed and hung up the phone when the reason of her worry hit him; Kouji was probably the only link to their father. _She doesn't want a replacement...but there's no way that's going to happen,_ Kouichi swore, walking into the main classroom, thankful Rai was teaching. His jaw dropped. Furiously, he walked over and hissed to his brother, "W-wait...Kouji! Get back in the office!"

Kouji shook his head. "Shut up. You're giving me a headache."

"Kouji...if you get any worse...you have to promise to go back!"

"I will, now shut up!" Kouji growled crossly.

Kouichi nodded awkwardly and sat down. _Maybe it's because I'm acting like I'm actually older by a few years? Oh well,_ he sighed, glancing out the window. _Brothers...are brothers?_

"Okay, hand the projects in, then get to your music class. I'm too lazy to bother teaching right now," Ms. Kawai snapped. Noting the stares she received, she added, "Besides, I need to grade these."

The class handed in their models. Izumi had managed to break into Kouichi's locker by observing his careful precision when opening it, and gotten her project out. While she teased him of this, Kako pestered her for the combination, swearing she saw more candy in there. Kouichi ignored them both and walked past Takuya, murmuring, "You know you were supposed to play..."

Takuya nodded slightly. "Junpei," he muttered back.

Returning the nod, Kouichi walked over to his brother. "Junpei's taking Takuya's place for the wonderful performance you plan to put on."

Kouji managed a smirk as he added, "Where you're singing."

"Kouji..." Kouichi sighed. Shutting his eyes, he nodded, but stated his conditions quickly before Kouji could say anything else, "As long as you lip sync and I sing backstage. Izumi has to announce, and..._most importantly,_ we're using Takuya's drum set. End notes have to be in drum, played incorrectly. Abide by those rules and I'll gladly sing."

It took a while before Kouji caught onto what his brother had planned. "Smart, aren't you?" he chuckled. "Fine, fine. Race you?"

"No. You'll overexert yourself."

"No I won't!" Kouji insisted angrily. _I _will_ beat him!_

"Later."

"Fine!"

"What is it with you two?"

Kouji froze and turned around at the sound of Kako's voice. "Nothing," he snapped.

"Yeah? Well...um...something!" she countered lamely.

The boy stared at her for the longest time. "That was..."

"Lame," Kouichi finished mercilessly. "Can you start moving _in_ the room? You're holding everyone up..."

Kako pushed Kouji in, and Kouichi quickly followed. Before any of the class could reach their instruments, however, Mrs. Nakamura snapped, "Sit down, no questions. There's a contest coming up, and you'll have to win if you want an 'A.' Otherwise, the highest grade will be a 'C.' Now, it can be any song, but it has to be in piano, and someone has to sing."

The class fell silent. Immediately, Kouji yelled, "Kouichi singing!"

"I second!" Kako cheered.

Ai snorted, "Kanaye's obviously better."

"You wish," Takuya suddenly blurted. Quickly, he added, "I mean about Kouichi. He wouldn't sing."

"Well, then we go with Kanaye?" Mrs. Nakamura asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kouji elbowed his brother. "You have to."

Drawing a breath, Kouichi nodded and croaked, "Fine...I'll...um..."

Mrs. Nakamura nodded. "Okay, since we have two nominees, we'll see how your voices are. First...pick a song."

Again, silence.

"Butter-Fly!" Kako shouted happily.

"Wh-" Kouichi started, turning red. _That's not fair!_

Again, Mrs. Nakamura nodded, affirming, "Yes, that's a perfect song. Kanaye first. Izumi, can you play it?" Izumi shook her head. "Alright, Kako, you're on piano."

Kako stiffly walked over to the piano. _Ew...Kanaye singing? That's disgusting,_ she thought, beginning to press her fingers on the keys gently, allowing them to float across the piano.

Kanaye began, starting off at the proper note. He never missed a beat.

Worried, Kouji glanced at his brother, who leaned back in his chair, eyes closed. _Don't lose, dammit, Kouichi, don't you dare lose._

As soon as Kanaye finished and Kako finished up the last notes, Kouichi rose to his feet. "Kouji can sing that."

"What?" Kouji blurted, staring in shock.

Kouichi nodded and repeated, "Kouji can sing that. Just have him try."

"I'm more of a guitar person, Kouichi," the younger twin snapped. "Sing yourself!"

_So much for getting out of that,_ Kouichi thought glumly, drawing a breath. "Ready."

Kako stared at him for the longest time. "Uh...okay," she muttered, beginning to play again. _Should've slipped up while playing for Kanaye,_ she thought disappointedly. Quietly, she repeated the words in her head.

"'_Gokigen na chou ni natte kirameku kaze ni notte  
Ima sugu kimi ni ai ni yukou  
Yokei na koto nante wasureta hou ga mashi sa  
Kore ijou shareteru jikan wa nai _

Nani ga wow wow wow wow wow kono sora ni todoku no darou  
Dakedo wow wow wow wow wow ashita no yotei mo wakaranai

Mugendai na yume no ato no nanimo nai yo no naka ja  
Sou sa itoshii omoi mo makesou ni naru kedo  
Stay shigachi na imeeji darake no tayorinai tsubasa demo  
Kitto toberu sa on my love...'" Kouichi finished softly, opening his eyes. "Happy?" he asked his brother.

"Yes!" Kako interrupted any chance of Kouji's speaking. "Now who's singing?" she asked Mrs. Nakamura.

The teacher frowned. "Well..."

"Well?"

"No one. Ms. Kawai just wanted me to record Kouichi singing."

Kouichi's jaw dropped. Kouji stifled his laughter, then ran out of the room, laughing hard. Kako swallowed a smile, staring at the ceiling innocently. The rest of the class stared at the red-faced Kouichi before they, too, burst into laughter.

Trying to calm himself, Kouichi muttered, "Always me. They _always_ pick on me..." Growling, he pointed to Kako and snapped, "This is your fault for telling her!"

"What?" Kako asked, startled. "Well...so what if I did?"

"Well-...uh...it's _embarrassing_?" he retorted.

She made a face and said in a sing-song voice, "Live with it!"

Kouji walked in, smiling serenely. "Anyway, I _told_ you he was good!"

Fuming, Kouichi took a seat. _Darn manipulative teachers,_ he thought grumpily.

-------------------------------------

A/N-

And I'll cut it short there. I could write more, but...man, at the time I'm writing this, I'm three chapters ahead of what I'm posting! .:innocent smile:. So, I know it seems a bit jumpy this chapter, and Kouji apparently recovers fast, but hey, if the wind is knocked out of you, you really just feel uber weak and if you're me, hungry!

Butter-Fly lyrics, not mine. I stole part of the lyrics from Animelyrics and edited it to fit the piano version. I just realized, Wada's voice is almost always croaky during slow-ish, ballad-ish songs. It's amusing, though. Not all the time, but most of the time.

Away from that! I do find it amusing to have that last part. Poor Kouichi was duped into singing. .:grin:. Man, I didn't think I could come up with that. I really didn't want to have a contest...it would be too much.

Ah, this was more of a filler, although I attempted to include some info. Random, jumpy, unclear, I know. Excuse me for that. I should be updating on Wednesday. Hopefully.

Thank You for the reviews-

_PrincessKaze, Snowy Leopardess, GemmaniGirl, Winter's Light_

Review or Flame.


	35. Intertwining Plans

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

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Intertwining Plans

-------------------------------------

Kouichi walked ahead of Kouji and Kako, who were both discussing Ms. Kawai and Mrs. Nakamura's brilliance.

"I swear, she was completely serious!"

"And you looked nervous, too," Kouji cackled.

Whacking him, Kako continued, "And then did you see his face when she told us the truth?"

_I'm right here_, Kouichi thought, turning his head to glare at the two. "You know, you really aren't helping. The point isn't to make me feel even more humiliated," he snapped as he picked up his pace.

Kouji laughed, "But hey, you've got fans!"

"I don't _want_ any!"

Kako ran to catch up with Kouichi. Grinning widely, she asked, "Oh, can I have your autograph?"

Kouji yanked her back. "No way! I get an autograph first! I'm your brother!"

_Forget ever helping Kouji_, thought the older twin, storming straight into Saito's bookstore. Kouji followed, wincing slightly. Kako flashed a glance in his direction and asked, "Does it still hurt?"

He shook his head and replied, "Don't tell him. He'll start worrying. Besides, it's not all that bad."

Kako ignored his assuring tone and poked his stomach. Kouji stepped back, gasping. Through gritted teeth, he muttered, "That...didn't...hurt..."

"Kouichi!" Kako yelled, running inside the bookstore. "Kouji's still h-"

Kouichi placed the book down and frowned. "He lied to get out of the office?"

Wobbling over, Kouji grunted and shook his head. "I'm...I'm fine."

Kako fell silent. Her eyes were glued to the book in Kouichi's hand. "I remember that book...Hideki has all of that guy's books..."

"Hm? Oh," Kouichi murmured, glancing at the cover. "The Secrets of Yuto? It's a good book."

She snatched the book from him, flipping through it absentmindedly. "He told me," she said slowly, "that he knew the author. So I always said he was stupid. I think one time I drew on one of them and he started yelling at me...apparently it was irreplaceable. But if a bookstore has it..." Kako handed the book back and started examining the shelf. "Which one was it...?"

Kouichi held his breath, gazing from Kouji to Kako. Sighing, he shut his eyes and ordered, "Kouji, go home before I call Mom. Kako, if Hideki said the book was irreplaceable, it was probably a first or special edition or something. And you don't even remember the title of the book you ruined, do you? Stop bugging my limited silence and take Kouji home so he doesn't collapse halfway."

"I wouldn't collapse," Kouji huffed angrily. "I'd...just...not be able to move. I mean, I only got the wind knocked out of me."

"Same thing." Ignoring Kouji's glare, the older boy turned to Kako and cleared his throat, "So?"

Kako paused. "Do I...get chocolate?"

"In my room, first drawer of my desk. The top one. Touch anything else, I'll find out and you'll regret it." _Duskmon, you take Agunimon and Blitzmon and make sure of it_, Kouichi told the digimon, hoping he would hear.

Nodding happily, Kako yanked on Kouji's arm, practically singing about chocolate as she skipped out the door. Kouichi let out a relieved sigh. It had taken him forever to calm down Kako after he had given back her diary. And chocolate seemed to have aided him in his time of need.

It was almost as if she thought it holy.

-Flashback-

"_You...but...you didn't read anything, did you?_" _Kako shrieked, eyes wide and searching Kouichi's eyes for an answer. Her hands tightened around the notebook and she pulled it tightly to her chest, whimpering as Kouichi shook his head. _"_Did Kanaye?_"

_Shrugging, Kouichi replied, _"_No clue._" I lied. Great_, he thought glumly. In an attempt to stop her wailing, he added with a forced laugh, _"_But I'm sure he didn't!_"

"_Nooo! Someone did, though!_"

"_How can you tell?_" _asked Kouichi, growing nervous by the second. The color drained from his face and his heart began to beat faster. _Don't tell me there's something of mine there...

_Kako sniffed and allowed him to view the corner of a page, blocking as much writing as possible. Although Kouichi caught a few key words, he said nothing._ "_The page is bent..._"

_Mentally sighing in relief, Kouichi slumped back into his seat._ "_Maybe you did that when I gave it to you...?_"

"_But_-"

"_How about I give you my locker stash of chocolate and you stop worrying?_"

"_OKAY!_"

-Flashback End-

_A proverb-In times of need, chocolate will aid you no matter what. One down, nineteen more to go,_ he thought, flipping to the last page of the book. He sighed, "Didn't think that Yuto w-WHAT?" he yelped, throwing the book aside as his pocket began to glow. Kouichi panicked as it began to grow hot. "What the..."

A second later, he yelled loudly, frantically digging into his pocket and yanking his D-Tector out. It fell to the floor with a dull thud and lay in front of him, seemingly harmless. In the meantime, Kouichi examined his damaged pocket. The pocket was gone, replaced by charred cloth, but the exterior was perfectly fine, despite the slight burn marks. _Mom's going to complain if I keep killing my clothes..._

He returned his attention to the D-Tector, which was now enveloped in flames. Kouichi's eyes widened past the size of golf balls. "WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?"

Appearing by the boy's side, Lowemon tried his best to contain his overflowing excitement. "Takuya's D-Tector. It's close. Once the flames die down, check your D-Tector. It'll give you a signal to follow."

"Will this happen _every_ time?"

"Yep. Unless the one who it belongs to finds it first."

Kouichi grumbled and picked up his book. "The ending was stupid."

"Oh? What happened?" the digimon asked, interested.

"Yuto's bratty nephew got all the money. There's a sequel, though. And Naoto got sent to jail for supposedly murdering Yuto." Kouichi let out a sigh and the flames soon died down. He gingerly picked up the D-Tector, which was surprisingly cool, and commented, "Yuto's nephew reminds me of Kanaye."

Lowemon's eyes betrayed amusement. "I think you better hurry. The signal can be lost quickly.

Making a face, Kouichi glanced at his D-Tector and began to follow the signal.

-------------------------------------

"You're...kidding."

"The D-Tector doesn't lie."

"KOUJI'S HOUSE?"

"Looks like it."

Disgusted, Kouichi glanced at his D-Tector. "It's _inside_..." he muttered in disgust.

"So go inside."

"NO WAY."

"NOW!" Lowemon barked.

Gulping, Kouichi nodded and stared at the door. "He said...hey...under...oh yeah!" Running into the yard, Kouichi gazed at a nearby tree. "This one," he confirmed, reaching up and yanking at a branch. It revealed a small compartment, allowing a small box to fall to the ground. Kouichi snatched it before it hit the ground, then let go of the branch, letting it spring back up. He opened the box and took out the key, chuckling to himself, "Who ever thought that Kouji's convincing me to come over would ever help me?"

"Open the door already!" Agunimon appeared by Lowemon, looking impatient. "_Please_?"

Suddenly, Kouichi frowned. "Wait...you, Blitzmon and Duskmon-"

"The other two are there, don't worry! Open, open, open, open, open, open," chanted Agunimon desperately.

Ignoring the warrior of fire, Kouichi slid the key in and opened the door. Removing the key, he shut the door, then raced upstairs as the signal showed. _And turn...open this door...and-wait...this is..._

"Kouji's room...?" Kouichi whispered in confusion. _What, Kouji hid the D-Tector?_

"Hurry up!" Lowemon and Agunimon urged, staring in anticipation.

Rolling his eyes, Kouichi opened the closet, staring at it blankly. "It...the signal stops here."

Lowemon cleared his throat and looked away, "Oh, forgot to mention..."

Agunimon continued sheepishly, "It's not specific."

"Great," Kouichi muttered, pulling out the boxes. "Which one of you...? This one seems to be opened recently. Nah. How about...this one!" Triumphantly, Kouichi opened the box to find bandanas. "EH? Kouji's...bandanas. Great. Just gr-"

Suddenly, a column of light shot out, disappearing quickly. On top of the bandanas lay a red and black D-Tector. Kouichi slowly recovered from the shock, smoothing his jacket and putting away his own D-Tector. Picking up Takuya's D-Tector, he sighed and muttered, "Takuya's...D-Tector. Well, that's good news."

"Kouichi?"

Whirling around, the boy found himself face to face with his twin. There was silence before Kouichi realized what was wrong with the entire situation. "U-uh...hi?" he stuttered, hiding Takuya's D-Tector behind his back. "Nice day for a...um...visit, isn't it? And why aren't you home?"

"Kako walked with me over here, because I asked her to. What...are you doing here?" Kouji snapped rudely. His eyes were red. Overall, Kouji thought he looked incredibly tired. "And how'd you get in?"

"Remember that key you told me about? Uh...yeah. And um...Agunimon can explain! And where's your bandana?" Kouichi inquired curiously.

Kouji shook his head and muttered dismissively, "Doesn't matter. Is that Takuya's D-Tector?"

"Uh...yeah."

"Oh. Who else has theirs?"

"Just me, I guess."

Kouji looked at his feet. "Oh..."

Suddenly worried, Kouichi walked up to his brother. Kouji looked up in surprise. Examining his face, Kouichi observed, "You were crying."

"N-No..."

"Stop lying. You're really bad at it. Hey...Sunday, you're free, right?" the older twin suddenly asked.

His brother nodded slowly. "Why?"

Sighing, Kouichi looked at the ceiling. "If you wanted...I have some tickets to the amusement park you seem to enjoy so much..."

"Y-you're kidding..."

"Well, I don't have them now, but I can get a hold of however many I need to."

"AWESOME!"

Kouichi turned around and put the bandana boxes back. "Eh, so, who do you plan to drag along?"

Frowning, Kouji shrugged. "Not sure yet," he muttered, "but we'll see pretty soon." Then eagerly he asked, "You coming too?"

"Nope. Amusement parks are rip-offs."

"You aren't any fun."

"Uh huh." Kouichi shut the closet and glanced at his brother demanding, "Now tell me why you were crying."

Kouji's face contorted into one of fury. "I wasn't," he murmured quietly. He turned around and headed down the stairs.

Kouichi raced to catch up with him. "Kouji, please, stop lying! I only want to help!"

"First, you can help me by not running down the stairs. Remember what happened last time?" When Kouichi fell silent and looked away, slowing his pace, Kouji continued, "Nothing is wrong. I swear, I'm not lying. I'm just...really tired, okay? Are you heading home?"

"Yeah," the older boy murmured in defeat.

"Great. I'll go with you."

Kouichi sighed. If he was going to get the truth out of his brother, he needed a more creative way to do it.

-------------------------------------

"So..."

Kouji turned his head towards his brother. "Hm?"

"Did Kako get any chocolate?"

"I told her you'd give her some when you got home."

"Oh. Cool. Any thoughts on who to invite, yet?"

"Nope."

Kouichi sighed. "Hey...Kouji, what does it feel like?"

"Hm?"

"Being an older brother. At least...knowing that."

Kouji let out a soft sigh, digging his hands into his pockets. "I don't really know," he confessed. "I don't want this to happen. Mom looked...so...torn apart..."

"I suppose it isn't all that bad."

"What?"

The older twin shrugged and replied, "Being an older brother. It's just...you need to make sure nothing happens to you." Kouichi turned to his brother, then ordered firmly, "Promise me."

"Wh-wha...?"

"Promise me you'll make sure nothing happens to you. You can't," he continued desperately. "You just can't. Mom's been happier since she's met you. You've pretty much given back her life, Kouji. Do you know why she's afraid of Dad having another child? She's afraid he'll take you away and leave just so that child won't have our screwed up life. She's afraid that the kid'll be a replacement to Dad if you get hurt. _Nothing_ can replace you, understand? Now promise."

Kouji stared at his brother, startled. Despair, anger, annoyance...his family loved him, sure. Both sides. He was only one person. Did they expect him to choose? "I...I promise," he stuttered in surprise. Suddenly a thought hit him and he asked, "Uh...hey, how are you giving Takuya his D-Tector?"

Kouichi broke into a smile.

"I'm not."

-------------------------------------

Kako opened the door and was immediately met by a sock in the face. Twitching, she picked up the sock and let out a sigh, shutting her eyes. She snapped, "Hideki, if you've decided to make out in the living room..."

A loud was curse and Kako fought the urge to bang her head against the wall. _Dearest brother, you're a freaking idiot_, she thought as she walked into the kitchen to find something to eat.

"W-wait! No-OW! I swear, I didn't kn-OW! Goddammit! Kako!" barked Hideki as the door slammed in his face. He walked into the kitchen and pulled on his shirt as he scowled, "What the hell was that for?"

"FOR THE SOCK IN THE FACE. God, wash it. It really smells," the younger girl commented, making a face.

Hideki let out an exasperated sigh and leaned against the fridge, glaring at his little sister grumpily. "Stop screwing up my dates. I thought you said you'd be gone the entire day."

Kako frowned and attempted to push him out of the way. "That was yesterday. Now move! You're too fat!" she whined.

Turning red, Hideki yanked his sister's arm, dragging her to the couch and glaring at her. "LISTEN, okay? One, get a social life, just not with the twerp. Two, stop interfering with mine! Three-"

She interjected with a deadly sweet voice, "I believe our agreement was you did your funny stuff...IN YOUR ROOM."

"THREE," Hideki continued, his glare growing with intensity, "stop being a pig. And blasting music. And do the freaking laundry sometime! Also, did I mention that it's your turn to do the dishes? You also have to cook dinner. Stop going out with the twerp and actually DO something."

Angrily, Kako stood up and kicked her brother in the shin. "YOU JUST GAVE CONTRADICTORY COMMENTS!"

He grabbed his shin, nearly falling backward. Hopping over, he sat down on the couch. Kako's older brother muttered to himself, "You know...this wouldn't have been this big of a mess if I weren't here. Or maybe it would have. I was old enough. He could have taken me..."

Eyes widening, Kako snapped, "What?"

"Nothing."

"Stop _lying_!" she yelled, lunging forward and yanking his ears. "SEE! I always knew you were hiding something from me!"

"IT'S NOTHING, DAMMIT! LET GO OF MY EARS!"

Kako did and headed straight to her room, screaming, "You're a freaking idiot, Hideki! No one else is as stupid as you! You're worse than Kouji, Takuya and Kanaye put together!"

"Yeah? Well I'm not a brat who decides to play with people's hearts, thank you!" Hideki snapped in return, wincing as Kako screamed and slammed her room door shut. "I'm sorry, door," he murmured, "if you feel any pain. I swear, it's her fault, though."

Standing up, Hideki looked at the clock. "Eh. I have enough time for a walk," he muttered, slipping on his shoes and heading outside.

-------------------------------------

"Now what?" Kouichi sighed, gazing at the shadows where Duskmon lingered. After dropping Kouji home, he decided to go for a walk, but there was really nothing to do. He could always drop of the candy he promised Kako, but he didn't feel like heading to her house. Besides, he hadn't wanted to go there since her mother died. There would be nothing interesting, other than a verbal exchange of complicated words with Hideki.

He didn't feel like talking much, anyway.

"You could always bug Saito."

"Yeah, but-HUH?" Surprised, Kouichi looked to his right and found Hideki leaning on a wall, staring at him, amused. "What do you want?" he snapped out of habit.

"Cool down, kid. No need to turn into your twerp of a brother. I need to meet someone, anyway. I don't have time for you."

"Yeah...well...well..." Kouichi was at a loss for comebacks. "Whatever. I don't really care," he muttered, sulking into the bookshop.

Hideki followed him silently, pausing at the entrance. "When was the last time I came, anyway?" he muttered to himself, his eyes following Kouichi's movements.

Irked by the stalking, Kouichi headed to the bookshelf and picked off a book, selecting carefully. "Which...? Oh, this one," he muttered, taking it and heading to the register. Turning to Hideki, he asked, "Why are you following me?"

"Boredom, actually. I have an hour."

"Can't you go bug Kako?"

"Eh...she's mad at me."

Kouichi rose an eyebrow and Hideki continued, "Other than the fact that she caught me nearly making out with someone in the living room, that I yelled contradictory statements at her, and then muttered something she didn't understand, it's the usual fact that I'm Hideki Sakai, her older, stupid, brother."

"Ms. Kawai said you were smart."

"Key word there. I _was_ smart. But I screwed up my life," he replied casually, snatching the book from Kouichi. "Good choice. Saito's books are good."

"Kako said you had a lot of his books or something."

Hideki chuckled and nodded. "Yeah...I got all the first editions...except for one or two of his books. Never got a hold of them, never will."

Kouichi sent him a questioning look. "Wait...why not?" he asked curiously. "Only one copy in the world?"

"Yeah...and...because the stories are painful." As he continued, Kouichi realized Ms. Kawai was right; Hideki wasn't such a slobbering drunk, stupid older brother of Kako's. "See, Saito always wrote stories that people could relate to. The plots in his book were from his life, his and those close to him. His characters were all important...each person's personality was derived from someone he knew. And that's why his books are great. They're beyond great. They're the world itself."

The room grew quiet until the door someone began to clap. Looking up, the two found Mr. Saito clapping. "Very nice, Hideki! I haven't heard you give that speech in years!"

Hideki turned red and shrugged. "Yeah...well..."

Kouichi handed the book to the shopkeeper. "Hey, Mr. Saito...what's it like to be an older brother?"

"I wouldn't know...you can ask Hideki," the man pointed out.

"Yeah...but...I mean...oh, fine," grumbled the boy, turning to Hideki. "So? What's it like?"

Raising an eyebrow, Hideki considered it before answering slowly, "Well...you have Kouji...it's like that. Annoying, but worth it. Every second."

Mr. Saito smiled softly, holding out the book. "Here's your book, Kouichi."

"Thanks, Mr. Saito," Kouichi replied, taking back the book. He turned back to Hideki. "Yeah, but don't you ever regret it?"

"Duh. Kako's the worst thing on EARTH."

"No she isn't!" Kouichi snapped, immediately turning red and looking at the ceiling. "Er...that...would be...um, Kouji."

Hideki's surprise melted into a smug look. "Sure, sure," he replied, poking Kouichi's shoulder. "You have the hots for her, don't you?"

Kouichi stated, "She's going out with Kouji."

"So? That doesn't mean-"

"I'm not like you. Plus...she's just a friend."

"Uh huh...we so believe you, right Mr. Saito? Eh?" Mr. Saito shook his head, containing his laughter and heading to the back. Grinning, Hideki continued, "Aw, come on, you've known her since fourth, right? I mean, you two looked pretty close..." Under his breath, he added, "I'd prefer you to the twerp."

"WHAT?" Kouichi sputtered, turning a deeper shade of red. "N-no! Kouji's going out with her, okay! God, I think I just got a new proverb..."

"Well, that's good news, isn't it?" a new voice commented.

The two turned their heads and turned red, both bowing slightly as they greeted, "Hello-"

"Ms. Kawai," Kouichi continued, straightening. Then, he frowned and commented, "You said Hideki was smart. He's only smart when it comes to Saito's books."

"Ooh, which one are you reading?" Ms. Kawai suddenly asked, delighted.

Kouichi showed her. "Revenge of a Thief. Sequel."

"Oh...that one I never bothered reading," Hideki muttered.

"Why?"

"It's...the story. Painful. Same with the book before. Painful, never read it."

Kouichi looked at the book, then frowned. "Is there something you know I don't? Because it didn't look so painful..."

"Just read and shut up," Hideki grumbled, turning to Rai. "Hey. Glad you could make it."

Rai smiled and nodded. "Believe me, Kouichi, you'll definitely like it."

Kouichi nodded. "Oh, proverb count is up to two. I'll see you tomorrow," he said, waving before running off.

"Lucky kid," Hideki muttered jealously. "Gets class time with you...anyway, where were we?"

"No."

"What?" he asked in surprise.

Rai shook her head and stepped away from Hideki. "My answer. No. I'm sorry, Hideki."

"Rai! Come on, give me a break! Why won't you just _fight_ it?" he exclaimed angrily, grabbing a hold of her arms. "It's ridiculous!"

She smiled and gently pushed his arms off. "I'm sorry," she replied, kissing his cheek, "but I made my decision a long time ago. Remember what your first girlfriend said? The one who made Kako cry? And then I gave candy to Kako..."

"Yeah...but she's wrong!"

Shaking her head sadly, Rai murmured, "She was right. Hideki, I can never be there for you when you really need me. I'll be gone soon, you know. You need to learn how to move on. And-"

"I don't want to."

"Then I'm sorry," Rai simply said, heading for the door. "I'll see you later, then. Tell Kako I said hi."

Hurt, Hideki walked over to the bookshelf and picked a book off of it. "The Secrets of Yuto. Do you really want me to read it, Dad?"

-------------------------------------

"OW!"

"Shut up!"

"New proverb," Kouichi observed, eying Kako whacking Kouji viciously. "Don't try kissing violent girls."

Kako turned to glare at him. "Are you saying I'm violent?"

Kouichi winced and muttered, "Another one would be know when to keep your mouth shut. And Kako?"

"Yeah?"

"WHY IS YOUR BROTHER FOLLOWING US TO SCHOOL?"

Kako shrugged, whacking Kouji again. "Dunno, really. I think he wants to see Rai...?"

Hideki had a dreamy look on his face. "Wow...that would be a really nice gift..."

"Hm? OH YOU PERVERT!" snapped the girl, turning around and kicking her brother's shin. "I swear, someone has to have you on a leash or something!"

"Leash would be nice...if Rai was the one holding it."

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP?"

Kouji and Kouichi burst into coughing fits, quickening their pace and eventually running to school.

"You know," Kouji commented as they turned a corner, "never thought I'd be so glad to get to school."

Kouichi shook his head, containing his laughter as he agreed, "Same here. Eh...Kako's catching up."

"Speed it up?"

"Fine with me."

"No way!" Kako whined, managing to grab Kouichi's backpack and yank him back. "You owe me chocolate!"

Kouichi yelped at the sudden stop, falling back. He winced at he hit the ground, his backpack cushioning him. "Um...Kako..."

"Oops?" she replied sheepishly, offering a hand.

Kouji stopped and turned around, shaking his head. "See, Kako, that's why you don't yank people's heavy backpacks. Kouichi must have it filled with bricks. No wonder he fell back."

"Don't carry any more than you can. Yet _another_ proverb," Kouichi muttered, accepting Kako's hand. As he stood up, he glared at Hideki who had a mischievous look. "What?"

"Oh...nothing," replied Kako's brother, tripping his sister.

Kako barely caught herself. "You _jerk_," she snarled, turning around and aiming a kick towards his head.

And falling back onto Kouichi.

Kouichi yelped as he fell forward, books flying out of his hand. "Gah! Noo!" he yelled, reaching for the books as they crashed to the floor. He let out a weak yell as Kako fell on top of him with a thud, whimpering. "Oww...get...off..."

"Gah!" Kako yelled, looking at Kouichi, Kouji, then her brother frantically. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, HIDEKI!"

"You know," Kouji commented, trying his best not to laugh, "It'd be a lot easier if you got off of him..."

Standing up, Kako scratched the back of her head. "Ehe...heh...sorry, Kouichi," she apologized, performing a back kick and hitting her brother in the stomach. "Some people just don't get what they deserve on certain days, huh?"

Kouichi scrambled to his feet, ignoring her and looking at his books. He examined each of them, whimpering, "Don't die, books..._please_, don't die!"

Kako twitched. "ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?"

"Huh?" Kouichi looked up and winced as Kako slapped him. "Wha...?"

Hideki and Kouji burst out into laughter, clutching their stomachs as Kako stormed off. Kouichi sighed and picked up his books, walking in front of the laughing duo.

"God, you're a clueless idiot," Kouji cackled.

Hideki snorted and burst into more laughter, "Just like your brother is a twerp!"

"And Kako's brother is a pervert!"

At this, the two stopped and glared at each other before snorting and bursting into more laughter. Kouichi shrugged, rubbing the cover of his newly acquired book. "Yeah...well...whatever," he muttered, quickening his pace to avoid the two. "Meet you up at school."

"N-no! Wait! I wanna see Rai!" Hideki wailed.

Kouji, appalled, yelled, "You _can't_ leave me with him! I'd die!"

Kouichi just ran.

-------------------------------------

"Oh, the books are more important than my apology. FINE THEN!" Kako slammed her locker shut and sighed. "I guess...I kind of deserve it..."

"No, you really deserve it."

"GO AWAY, HIDEKI!"

Hideki snorted, "God, I oughta be a match maker. You two could've kiss-"

"Shut up!"

"Calm down, Ms. Feisty! Sheesh, you've got some problem. Anyway, where's the twerp's brother? I wanna see Rai..."

Kako ignored her pestering brother, storming straight towards Kouichi and slamming his locker shut just as he tried to put his biology book away. "Chocolate?"

Blinking, Kouichi nodded, pushing her hand away and opening his locker. He withdrew a bag of chocolate, tossing it to Kako. "Happy?"

"No."

Kouji edged towards the two, his face tinted red. "Um...hey, Kako..." Kako turned to him, blinking and he continued, "You're free Sunday, right...?"

Kouichi nearly dropped the biology book on his toe. _Clever guy..._

"Uh...yeah, I should be."

"NO SHE ISN'T!" Hideki snapped.

"I'm definitely free," Kako confirmed with a smirk.

"Great. Then...wanna go out, then?"

"Sure, Kouji," she replied, kissing him.

Hideki twitched and started ranting, "That isn't fair! You're just doing this to annoy me! You know, Kako, I really should tell Dad!"

Kako pushed Kouji away and glared at her brother. "You wouldn't!"

As the two began to bicker, Kouji yanked on his brother's sleeve. "Hey, Kouichi, you _have_ to come."

"Why?" Kouichi asked, shutting his locker, then turning to his brother. "Take Izumi or someone."

"N-no...I mean..._you_ have to. Like a chaperone, you know?"

"Kouji...don't tell me you're afraid of being alone with her," Kouichi groaned.

Kouji shook his head and corrected, "Being with her alone and trying something I'll regret."

_And so, Kouij has grown up! Let us clap, _Kouichi thought sarcastically. "Fine, but you owe me..."

"Your hat'll be spared?"

"My hat's far, far away, Kouji."

"I know, but...still...when it comes close, it'll be spared?"

Letting out a sigh, Kouichi shook his head. "I said fine. Drop it."

"YES!" Kouji cheered. "You're awesome. Uh-" he stopped as the bell rang. Turning to Kako, then Hideki, he grinned. "Class time."

Kouichi's eyes widened. "H-hey...wait...you aren't-"

"Have fun with Hideki!"

"NO! KOUJI!" the older twin yelled, gazing at Hideki in horror. "This...isn't...good..."

-------------------------------------

"Where is she?" Hideki asked impatiently.

Kouichi shrugged and kept reading.

Letting out a groan, Hideki lay his head on the table, looking up at the sound of the door opening. "Sweet!" he muttered to himself as Rai walked in, then stopped. "Uh...I...need to talk to you..."

Rai shook her head. "Sorry, I have office hours for conferences. How's life, Kouichi?"

Wincing, Kouichi replied, "I have about five proverbs. I forgot some along the way...and the sad part is they're due today...great, I forgot."

"Ah. That's good, considering not all of them have to be your own. One day extension, since Hideki bugged you yesterday," Rai replied absentmindedly, her gaze on Hideki. "Hideki, get out."

"Nope."

"Now."

"I told you, I'm staying," Hideki replied, leaning back in his seat and grinning as he placed his feet on the table. Kouichi made a face, but continued reading. "So, I'll bug you until I get that talk. I have the time, anyway."

"OUT!" Ms. Kawai snapped angrily.

Kouichi looked up from his book in surprise. "Uh...Hideki...maybe you shouldn't-"

Laughing, Hideki shut his eyes. "Nope. Don't even bother, kid. You're too inexperienced to give advice about lad-OW!" Hideki yelled as Rai slapped him. "JEEZ, what is it with you girls?"

Boiling, Ms. Kawai turned to Kouichi. "Kouichi, remember that advice about girls I gave you? Add this to it; Bug a girl, and you'll regret it deeply."

_Annoyance is minor, anger is major. A wise man knows when he's gone too far,_ Kouichi added to his list of proverbs. _Would Duskmon enjoy this?_

_Are you kidding? Anytime a girl ends up creaming a guy,_ Duskmon grumbled, _they're an EMBARRASSMENT._

_Sexist,_ Lowemon thought.

Kouichi shook his head. "Told you," he muttered, returning to his book. _Amazing he hasn't learned after living with Kako._

But Hideki just rubbed his cheek, ignoring the pain. "I want that talk. And I'm not leaving until I get a chance," he declared, folding his arms across his chest.

Rai forced a smile. "Persistent as usual." The smile faded. "I told you, Hideki. No. Now leave." When Hideki made no motion to get up, she sighed and shook her head. "Kouichi, same assignment. Have fun. I hope this isn't too much trouble."

The boy shook his head. "I'm fine," he replied, flipping the page. As Rai shut the door, he turned to Hideki. "That was stupid."

Hideki slumped in his seat and sighed. "I know...but...I have to talk to her. Now, to plot on how to set you up with Kako!"

"Get. Away. From. Me!" Kouichi growled, glaring daggers at Hideki.

"Gimme a break! It's either you, Kouji, or _Kanaye_. Sorry, but you're the better choice! Aren't you _lucky_?" cackled Hideki, standing up. "Actually, a walk is good enough. I'll bug you later."

Kouichi frowned and looked up while Hideki slumped out of the room. _Proverb number who knows what-Love is a pointless game. Only fools play. The wise dominate._

-------------------------------------

A/N-

'It'll give you a single to final.' Oops? XP

...() Long chapter alert! Yes, if I plan to finish this under forty, I will have to do this. And then move on! To the _next_ part! .:cheers:.

Takuya got his D-Tector! Well it's available. But what about Junpei? And Izumi? Ooh...damn, things just get harder and harder to write...

Thank you for the reviews-

**The Light's Refrain, GemmaniGirl, Lady Hikari-Yami, PrincessKaze**

Review or Flame


	36. Playing Along With The Game

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

A/N-Ah, since I'm updating, I'd like to point out, I'm an idiot and would like to dedicate this chapter to a dear classmate. Only, I should have done so last week...and I forgot. Sorry, Kevin.

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Playing Along With The Game

-------------------------------------

_Shoot...this sucks,_ Kouji thought miserably as he was paired into Takuya and Kako's group. "Shit," he muttered under his breath. _If this keeps going...everything'll mess up. Damn...it...all._

"Kouji, _stop spacing out!_" Kako snapped.

"Uh...r-right..."

Takuya walked over, glaring coldly at Kouji. "What exactly is the point of this?" he muttered, his eyes flashing away and catching sight of Izumi, stuck in Naoko and Fujitaka's group. Jealously, he looked back at his own group. "Would you two stop fighting? It's ridiculous."

Kouji returned Takuya's glare. "Sorry, Mr. I-think-I'm-better-than-the-rest-now-that-I'm-w-"

Kako frowned disapprovingly. "Kouji!" she cried angrily. "You know-"

"I don't care," Kouji said, suddenly feeling weak as she poked his stomach. _This...sucks..._

Rolling her eyes, Kako stared at the paper. "What are we supposed to do again?"

"I...don't really know."

"Does _anyone_?"

The two turned to Takuya, who had already started. "Eh, so, what are we supposed to do?" Kako asked sheepishly.

"Just let me do it," Takuya muttered.

-------------------------------------

Hideki leaned against the wall and shut his eyes. "God, that was stupid. The inexperienced clueless idiot was right. Guess he's not that inexperi-Wait...that means he's better than me. No way, he hasn't even kissed anyone! At least...oh great," Hideki groaned, "I'm confusing myself. The world is wonderful today."

"I thought I told you to leave."

Wincing, Hideki opened his eyes and shrugged. "Sorry, Rai, but I was serious."

Rai walked up to him, her eyes full of hurt. Taking a breath, she murmured, "You know the conditions. It won't work, okay? I've told you a million times, and Kako ten million-It won't work. Now please, leave."

Hideki gazed into her eyes before smiling and shaking his head. "I don't care. If this doesn't work, you think anything else will? At least...we have some time. I don't want to be incomplete, anymore, Rai. I hate it. That's how all my work has been since Mom died. And you've been there for me...but...you just won't accept!" he suddenly yelled, pinning her to the wall. "Do you know, it's not just me who actually wants this! Kako does, too! You know, she'd actually be happier away from Dad. I don't even _want_ to call him Dad, anymore. It's sickening, Rai. If we-"

"I _told_ you, Hideki! I'm sorry," Rai snapped. "But it's only a bit longer! You're old enough to move anyway!"

At this, Hideki shook his head. "I wouldn't leave Kako with him for the world."

"So take her away!"

Hideki slammed his fist against the wall next to her. "You don't understand, do you? Taking her away means going back to Tokyo. Do you have _any_ idea how depressed she was there?"

"Yes," retorted Rai.

"You only know half of it," he growled, turning around and walking off. "I can't tear her away from this. She'd hate me. Kako hates this life...but...she has no idea how bad it is. Do you know what it's like to live in the same house as a man who hates your guts and would do anything to get rid of you? She doesn't even know he hates us. She doesn't understand any of it. All she can come up with is, 'Mom wouldn't approve if she were here!' And it's true. But Mom isn't here...and we can't do anything. We could move. We could, the two of us. But she'd still hate me."

Rai shook her head. "Hideki...what happened?"

He let out a better laugh. "Yeah...she hates me. Kind of...relieving, but hard to accept. Maybe she'll like the truth better. Maybe. I like it. I'll see you around, Rai," muttered Hideki, his voice cracking.

Rai frowned. "You are _not_ going _anywhere_. Because the first thing you'll do is get drunk, and I'm _not_ letting that happen. No, if you get drunk, Kako will start crying. If she starts crying, things get worse. You'll have to help me with today's lesson."

Hideki's eyes widened. "N-no way...Rai, _no_."

"Sorry, can't be helped."

He jumped as she grabbed his hand. "No! Let me go! Come on, this isn't fair! What are you going to do? Make me twist into a strand of DNA?"

"Good idea!"

"NO! PLEASE! I PROMISE, I WON'T GET DRUNK!"

-------------------------------------

Kouichi walked into the class, following Rai and Hideki. _Lovebirds. Never seem to separate. Typical._

"Alright, sit down, class! We've got a volunteer today!" Rai announced, pushing Hideki forward.

"HIDEKI?" Kako shouted in horror. Her jaw dropped as soon as he started looking around the room, walking past all the boys and examining them. "Oh...great...just great..."

"Which one's Kanaye?" Hideki asked, glaring at Kouji.

Kouji glared back and pointed to his brother. Rolling his eyes, Kouichi pushed his brother's finger in the direction of Kanaye and muttered, "There. Why?"

"Rai, can I _please_ beat him up?"

"NO," Kako, Rai, Kouji, Izumi, Takuya, and Kouichi shouted, the students standing up in their seats. Then, Kouji, Kako, Izumi, and Kouichi chorused, "I get to!"

Suddenly, Kouichi sat down in his seat and returned to his book. "I mean...the book gets to."

"Oh please, stop being so modest! You're a star, Kouichi," Kouji suddenly snickered. "Remember yesterday?"

Kako rolled her eyes and sat down. "Brothers. The world would-"

"Be incredibly peaceful without them," Kouichi finished, book marking the page and glaring at Ms. Kawai. "That was uncalled for!"

"What? OH...you mean yesterday? Accident. I just wanted a recording. Anyway, lesson of the day! DNA!" Rai continued, yanking Hideki back before he caused any damage. "Now, instead of having Hideki-"

Kanaye suddenly snickered, "Your boyfriend?"

"ACTUALLY," Hideki said with a smirk, snaking his arm around Rai's waist.

"NO." Rai grabbed his hand and turned around, kicking his shin. "Now, we'll have this...imbecile...demonstrate to us the jobs of the mRNA. Well? Go ahead, Hideki." A smile was plastered on Rai's face.

Kouichi shook his head and opened his book so he wouldn't laugh. This would be one long period.

-------------------------------------

"Jeez, Hideki, you can be a total idiot!" Kako laughed, popping yet another chocolate into her mouth.

Kouichi frowned. "Kako, stop eating so many chocolates. You'll get hyper."

She glared at him, but said nothing. Instead, she turned to Hideki. "So...did you two talk?"

"Kind of," her brother mumbled sheepishly, turning red and rubbing the back of his head.

"EW, DO NOT TELL ME YOU MADE OUT WITH HER INSTEAD."

"NO! Um...we kinda...more like..."

"Fought," Kouichi finished effortlessly. "Hideki's as bad as Kouji. Only worse."

Kouji walked over, yawning, "What about me?"

"Nothing," replied the older twin.

"Stop talking about me behind my back!"

Rolling his eyes, Kouichi muttered, "Whatever." A second later, he pulled out the book.

"Why are you so absorbed in that book?" Kako snapped.

Kouichi shrugged. "He's a good writer. I like his style."

Hideki nodded and murmured, "Saito was an awesome writer. The best."

"No way!" Kako interjected. "That would be-"

"No stupid author _you_ like could compare to Saito! And that's not even his real name!"

Kouichi turned to Hideki, suddenly interested. "Really?"

Realizing what he had said, Hideki laughed and nodded, edging away from him. "Uhm," he stuttered, looking around. "Wow! I heard Rai call me! Later!"

_HE KNOWS SOMETHING!_ Kouichi's eyes burned furiously. As he took a step to follow Hideki, something stopped him from doing so. "Not...his...real name? Marise Saito's a pseudonym?"

"A whatsi-nym?" Kako asked, blinking. "Stop confusing me even more."

"Pseudonym. A penname."

"Right, right...sure."

"Uh...Kouji?"

Kouji snapped out of his reverie and glanced at his brother. "Huh?"

Biting his lip and turning away, Kouichi muttered awkwardly, "You're...drooling..."

"WHAT?"

Kako rose an eyebrow and regarded the younger twin strangely as he began to frantically wipe his mouth. "Uh...are you hungry or something?"

"Well, let's see...you're eating chocolate _right in front of me_," he growled.

Smirking, Kako took a large bite of the chocolate bar in her hand. "YUM...and it's ALL FOR ME."

Kouji began to wail, "JUST GIMME A BITE! I didn't have breakfast!"

"Tough luck!" Kako laughed, walking off with the chocolate.

Kouichi shook his head and opened his locker, taking out Takuya's D-Tector. "Soon, Takuya. Soon."

-------------------------------------

Takuya mentally sighed in annoyance as Ai continued pestering Kanaye. _Will they ever shut up?_

"Just give _up_, Ai! Takuya, _you_ take her to the dance!" Kanaye growled.

"Wh-what?" Takuya uttered in horror. _NO! Don't tell me..._

"Take. Ai. To. The. Dance!"

"B-but..."

"Are you questioning me?"

"No, but-"

"Then do it and shut up!"

Slinking back in the bench, Takuya examined his life as it lay before him. He was a failure. His stupidity, his overconfident attitude, his immaturity...all that had cost him his friendship, his entire life. No longer was he gaming or slacking during class. He was actually doing homework, struggling for a way to get out of Kanaye's hold.

Ai's eyes widened in rage and she began to yell at Kanaye. The boys merely ignored her and continued what they were doing.

It would be a long day for all of them.

-------------------------------------

"Okay...I'm going home, and you're going to the bookstore?" clarified the younger twin as soon as they were let out of school. Kouichi nodded. "Uh...again?"

Kouichi sighed and muttered an affirmation.

"Why?"

Turning to his brother, the boy responded, "Because I want to. And may I inquire why you're asking?"

"Because...you're...my best biggest brother!" Kouji laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Uh...right." Kouichi headed towards the bookstore when it occurred to him that Kouji was following him. "What?" he snapped, glaring at his brother.

Kouji shrugged, putting on an innocent face. "Nothing. I just...happen to be going the same way," he assured Kouichi.

Sighing impatiently, Kouichi started to the bookstore again. This time, he ran.

Kouji watched his brother run off, then shook his head. _What is he doing there? I mean...so much of his time...in a bookstore? I wonder what he's up to..._

There was only one way that he could think of to find out.

-------------------------------------

"Kouichi, what do you plan to do with Takuya's D-Tector?" Lowemon asked curiously as Kouichi stopped running, slowing into a walk.

The boy shrugged and replied, "For me to know, you can find out on Monday."

Agunimon began to whine, "That's not fair! Come on, I _know_ Takuya wants to digivolve and kick some Kanaye-"

"That's actually what _I_ want to do," Duskmon interjected coolly.

"Oh, give me a break! Beowolfmon _creamed_ you."

"Yes, but it took a fusion evolution. I simply am a basic, simple, human spirit digimon, and I can take you _all_ on."

"Your oversized ego says that. But your skills should've rusted...like your blades!"

Duskmon withdrew his blades, showing Agunimon by sticking them in front of the fire warrior. "Rust free, thank you."

"Stop fighting," Kouichi groaned as he thought, _Lobomon and Duskmon'll be even worse..._

"True," Lowemon murmured quietly.

Shaking his head, Kouichi entered the bookstore, heading straight to Mr. Saito. "Sir, would it be possible to move the lesson...?"

Surprised, Mr. Saito nodded. "Very well...we'll start, then."

-------------------------------------

_He's kidding. AGAIN?_ Kouichi sat on the bench inside the kendo dojo, crossing his arms unhappily. _Great, and out of nowhere, Kanaye'll show up._

"Hey Kou-wai-KOUICHI WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

Kouichi winced and looked up, his eyes widening at the sight of his brother. _N-no...MR. SAITO HAS TO BE KIDDING! THERE IS NO WAY I'LL-_

"Yes, you will. Like last time, an hour," Mr. Saito said calmly before walking out.

Desperately, Kouichi stood up with a start and began to stutter, "N-No, wait, can't we just go bug Fuuya again or something?" As soon as the last words came out of his mouth, Mr. Saito walked off. _No...way..._

Kouji's eyes narrowed on his brother. "Exactly _what_ are you doing here?" he demanded. "What happened to 'going to the bookstore?'"

Through gritted teeth, Kouichi lied, "I was bored, so Mr. Saito gave some advice on where to go for...some...amusement."

Wordlessly, Kouji just dropped his bag and headed to the floor.

-------------------------------------

_Kouji's pretty good. But apparently...there are better people. Or maybe not,_ Kouichi thought, wincing as his brother's opponent hit the ground with a loud thud. "Don't kill them, Kouji."

"So are you saying I ought to get killed _myself_?" Kouji retorted.

Rolling his eyes, Kouichi snapped, "We had a promise, so even if you wanted to, you couldn't. Even if _I _wanted you to, and I don't. Why are you using the exact same moves?"

"Since when did _you_ know so much?"

"Um...funny thing is, Kako asked me the same question last week!" the older twin laughed, rubbing the back of his head. _Is it because I corrected them? Well, Kouji_ has_ been doing kendo for a long time..._

His brother snorted, pointing the stick at Kouichi. "Since you know so much, let's see a demonstration, okay?" Although he seemed calm, Kouji was having a fit. He hadn't forgotten Kanaye's words from earlier that week, despite his attempts.

Not that he tried very hard.

To his surprise, Kouichi slowly nodded. "If...that's okay...with..."

"Sensei!" Kouji called out, dropping his hand to his side, "mind if my brother borrows a practice stick?"

"Eh? Brother?" A middle-aged man walked over, frowning at Kouji, then turning to Kouichi. "Twins? This is new. You never told me, Kouji."

Kouichi rose an eyebrow curiously. "Wow, usually he brags," he muttered, standing up and walking over. "If it isn't too much trouble..."

"Ah, yes, yes...practice stick...Kouji, go run to the back and get one, will you?" As Kouji nodded and walked off, the man turned to Kouichi with a wry smile. "He seems determined to beat you."

"Oh...how can you tell, sir?"

"Mr. Tsukoshiro or Sensei, not sir, kid. Sir makes me sound old. Which I'm not. Yet. Kouji's always had that feeling surrounding him whenever he challenged someone. You must be pretty tough if he's challenging you..." mused the kendo instructor.

Kouichi looked at his shoes and shrugged. "I...don't really know. I've used a sword a bit...but I haven't actually fought before, challenge or no. Just...simple sparring, I guess."

Mr. Tsukoshiro nodded and muttered something to himself. Out loud, he laughed, "Well, then, we'll see, won't we?"

Nodding in turn, Kouichi caught the stick as Kouji threw it to him. "Okay then, I guess we will see. Do I really have to?" he suddenly asked, taking off his jacket.

"Yes," Kouji responded automatically. "Because you wouldn't want to disappoint your younger brother, would you?"

"Only a few minutes, Kouji. I'm _that_ much older. And you act as if it's years..."

"Shut up and get ready!"

Kouichi sighed and blocked with ease, wincing at the impact. This was nothing new to him, compared to Saito's extreme training. But it was definitely more serious.

Just thinking about it reminded him of the first time Saito offered him lessons.

-Flashback-

_Kouichi walked into the bookstore for the very first time, not surprisingly bored_. _It had been half a year since the Digital World incident, and everyone else was busy_. _He hadn't ever been in this bookstore before, so he had decided it would be a good idea to check it out_.

_The very first thing Kouichi had spotted was a book that supposedly was about the Medieval Age_. _Whoever had written it definitely had a passion for swords, because that was a majority of the book_. _Yet, for some reason, it had caught Kouichi's eye_. _He kept flipping through the book until he realized he couldn't put it down_. _Panicking, he tried to force himself to put the book down, attempting to pry it away from one hand with the other_. _Eventually, when he flipped to a page to a drawing with blades almost identical to Duskmon's, he dropped the book_.

_Mr. Saito must have heard, because he had appeared in that area seconds later, staring at a shocked Kouichi in amusement_. _Kouichi gazed at the drawing in the utter horror, unwary of the bookstore owner's presence until he was tapped on the shoulder_. _Kouichi turned to Mr. Saito, then quickly picked up the book before apologizing and murmuring, _"_I didn't mean to drop the book. I...I guess I was surprised...by...the picture_. _I know it sounds weird, but I can't explain it and...you must think I'm pretty stupid, huh_?"

_In response, Mr. Saito shook his head quietly, then took the book from Kouichi's hands_. "_This book_," _he told the boy, flipping to the drawing_, "_is one of a kind_. _A fool published it_. _He was a crazy drunk, one who collected swords, killing all trespassers with the swords he had_. _Eventually, he killed himself_." _While Kouichi stared in horror, Mr. Saito continued_, "_But that's pointless knowledge_._ You seem to be interested in swords yourself_."

"_I...I guess_," _Kouichi somehow found a voice to answer, however timid_.

"_Well, would you like lessons_?"

_Unable to resist the thoughts of wielding a sword, Kouichi nodded eagerly_. _Mr. Saito handed him a card, then murmured_, "_Come back in one or two years. Construction will be complete by then_."

-End Flashback-

It only occurred to Kouichi now, as Kouji continued to attack relentlessly, that he should take the defensive. _Saito's holding back on me,_ Kouichi thought grudgingly, sidestepping the attack and unleashing one of his own.

Kouji dodged with ease, then swung his stick around, just touching the sleeve of Kouichi's left arm. "N-no you don't," Kouichi muttered, throwing a few attacks at his twin so as to not be backed into the corner. "Try that trick on someone else. And throw in a few new ones. These are getting old."

"Try attacking," Kouji replied as he aimed for Kouichi's arm again.

Kouichi barely dodged, thrusting his stick forward at Kouji's hand. It hit, loosening his brother's grip on his stick. Kouji let go of the stick, eyes wide. "W-wha..."

_I...didn't do that...I did _not_ just do that_, Kouichi told himself, eyes wide as well. Quickly, he dropped his own stick and headed out the door. "Fluke," he muttered aloud. "It was a fluke."

"Kid, that was no fluke," Mr. Tsukoshiro replied, taking a hold of the back of his shirt and dragging him inside. "Now sit. Saito told you to wait."

Kouichi nodded, pale-faced as he sat down. When he looked in front of him, he locked gazes with Kouji. A wave of fear washed over him, and he quickly slipped on his jacket and took out his D-Tector. _Give me a D-Tector to locate. A digimon...anything! My fractal code, just _anything, _please?_ Nothing happened. Kouichi slumped back in his seat.

Kouji was definitely going to attempt revenge.

And he didn't even mean it.

-------------------------------------

"No, you're kidding."

"It was an accident!"

Junpei let out an exasperated sigh. "Did he look that devastated?"

The other boy said quietly, "I...I don't think he showed it, but..."

"Kouichi, you really know how to dampen a guy's spirits."

"I didn't mean it!" Kouichi wailed, banging his head on the table. When the door open, he lifted his head and murmured a quiet, "Hi," to his brother.

Kouji shut the door, then stiffly nodded. "Kouichi...Junpei...whatever you two are doing."

"Nothing, actually," Junpei replied, leaning back on the couch and letting out a sigh.

On the floor, Kouichi watched the older boy crash into a tree. "And I thought my snowboarding skills stunk," he remarked.

"Well maybe we aren't all as gifted as you," Kouji shot hotly, storming to his room.

Kouichi let out a moan, "See what I mean? It was a fluke!"

Junpei laughed, "You seem to be getting a lot of flukes, then."

"It wasn't a fluke," Duskmon snapped. "It's because you actually bother to pay attention and learn."

"IT WAS A FLUKE!" Kouichi screamed.

"SHUT UP!" Kouji returned.

"IT WAS A FLUKE, IT WAS A FLUKE, IT WAS A FLUKE!" he continued to yell, banging his head repetitively on the table. "IT WAS A FLUKE, JUST SHUT UP, DUSKMON!"

Duskmon snorted and drawled, "If it makes you feel better, you can say I possessed you. But then, that would be a lie. And lying isn't your style."

"You possessed me?" Kouichi stared at the digimon, a crazed look on his face. "See! It wasn't my skill! SEE! IT WAS A FLUKE! DUSKMON POSSESSED ME!"

Lowemon shook his head and muttered, "Only, he can't, because..."

Nodding, Duskmon finished, "You're missing your fractal code."

Kouichi groaned and went back to banging his head on the table. "My life...is forever ruined. Junpei, when can Ritsuo get me three tickets?"

Pausing for a moment, Junpei shrugged and simply said, "I'll ask tomorrow."

"Thanks...I need them by Sunday."

"Done."

_Let's just hope it _really_ makes up for this entire mess_, Kouichi thought, still banging his head on the table.

-------------------------------------

The next day at school, despite the fact that Hideki, once more, walked with them, Kouji remained quiet, walking ahead of everyone else.

"What's with him?" Hideki asked, scratching his head in confusion.

Kouichi shrugged and turned to him to ask, "Why can't you just _drive_ there?"

Grinning, Kako's brother replied, "Why drive when you can walk on such a beautiful day?"

"Why walk when you can drive?" Kako returned smoothly.

"Point taken, but it's too pretty to drive...besides..."

"DON'T say anything. Don't even open your mouth," the girl warned her brother, glaring at him.

Hideki made a face and did as she instructed.

"You're all too slow," Kouji muttered, quickening his pace and leaving the other three behind.

At this, Kouichi stopped and began to bang his head on a nearby wall. "Fluke, fluke, _fluke_," he chanted desperately, hoping Kouji would feel better during class. "It was a _fluke_."

The siblings exchanged glances before tearing Kouichi away from the wall and dragging him the rest of the way to school.

-------------------------------------

"NO!" Kouichi suddenly shouted, slamming his locker shut. _Proverbs, proverbs, give me a proverb! Ah! Flukes are evil! No...Never regret not having a miracle. That's good! Another! Um...I don't know! Nooo! I can't fail! Give me proverbs!_ Kouichi began to bang his head against his locker, groaning, "Darn...fluke..."

"What happened?" Izumi asked Kako as she walked by, frowning. "He looks so..."

Hideki shook his head and explained casually, "Something good happened, and he regrets it, so he says it's a fluke." He dragged Kouichi away from any place he could whack his head and held a firm grip on the boy's jacket. "So, you see," he continued, "when this happens, you simply..._go up to a girl and kiss her._"

"Hideki..." Kako groaned.

Kouichi blinked, then looked up at Hideki. "You..." he muttered. Then, he whacked Hideki and snapped, "YOU'RE STUPID! I ALREADY TOLD YOU! I DON'T LIKE HER!"

The entire hall fell silent.

"Who?" Kako finally asked.

"I don't like anyone!" he continued angrily, yanking away from Hideki's grasp. "So just leave me alone! Proverb number who knows what; Interfering with another's love life will lead you to regret."

Hideki fell silent, then shifted uncomfortably. "Eh...well...I tried..." he muttered, watching Kouichi storm off. "The kid just doesn't know what's really good for him." Smirking, he followed Kouichi and sighed, "Rai...fun..."

Disgusted, Kako made a face, then turned to Izumi. "So...did Takuya say anything new to you?"

"Um," Izumi began to stutter as her face warmed up considerably, "W-well, h-he did say sorry after we bumped into each other...and he picked up my notebook too..."

Kako smiled softly at her cousin, then shut her eyes. "Why don't then hurry up and do something already...?"

Her cousin shrugged and murmured, "I guess...we just need to have faith. Kouichi'll do something soon. I'm sure."

-------------------------------------

"Who-" Kanaye whirled around before the fist ever reached his face. Grabbing it, he smirked. "A splendid performance, but still not fast enough. What do you want?"

"Sunday," the boy replied, dropping his hand to his side. "The amusement park. Kouichi will be there."

"Oh will he?" Kanaye let out a laugh and chuckled, "We'll have to make sure he wins first place in all the games, then, won't we?"

The second figure snorted, "Just deflate his ego. And hurt him considerably."

"Don't worry." As the boy walked off, Kanaye muttered, "He may not live to see his birthday."

-------------------------------------

_Starting something you can't finish leads to regret. Regret leads to failures. Start something you're sure you can finish. I give up,_ Kouichi thought glumly, book open. "Oh well...it's one grade. The first, but...at least I finished math," he said aloud in hopes of cheering himself up.

"You know, you should just admit you like her."

"I _don't_. Go away, Hideki," Kouichi growled, stuffing his face in the book and shutting his eyes. "I don't like anyone."

Hideki shrugged and took a seat beside Kouichi. "You know...you'll regret that when you actually do date her and I start calling you 'the twerp' again," he commented.

"Shut up. I don't like her. She's Kouji's girlfriend."

"ACTUALLY," Hideki said, coughing slightly. "I have a videotape that might interest you...now, seeing as how cool I am, I installed a security system that constantly tapes-"

"I _don't_ care. I don't like her!"

A frown appeared on Hideki's face. "Oh, come on! You know you do!"

"I _don't._"

"Fine, fine...I'll let it go now..."

"Thank you." After a pause, Kouichi added, "Now give me some proverbs!"

"Ooh, didn't do your homework?" asked Kako's brother with a grin.

"SHUT UP AND GIVE ME SOME PROVERBS! YOU PUT ME THROUGH ALL THAT TORTURE, NOW HELP!"

Hideki shook his head and quickly wrote down some proverbs for Kouichi. "Ah...and this one," he muttered, writing down one last proverb.

Kouichi stared at the list, frowning at the last proverb as he read aloud, "The one who denies the obvious simply admits the truth. What...? Give me a break! I don't like her!"

"I never said," Hideki replied in a sing-song voice.

"You're implying!"

"Am not!"

"YES YOU ARE!" _As soon as I can digivolve,_ Kouichi thought with a huff, _he's going down._

-------------------------------------

The day passed by quickly, much to Kouichi's surprise. It took every ounce of his control to restrain himself from inflicting any damage to Hideki. Unfortunately, as soon as they began to walk home, it wavered when Hideki started to tease him yet again, and despite the fact that Kouichi whacked him thoroughly with a biology book, Hideki continued.

_Some people just _don't_ learn their lesson. There's got to be a proverb about that,_ Kouichi thought, desperately trying to ignore Kouji, Kako, Izumi and Hideki as he conversed with Junpei about the tickets. Ms. Kawai had given him another extension for his proverbs, and he had to make sure he spent time to think up some.

"So just tell her!" Hideki sang in an off tune voice.

Junpei shot the young man a strange look, then continued, "Yeah, so Ritsuo can get the tickets by Friday. How many do you need?"

"Three, right Kouji?" the older twin asked loudly over Hideki's singing.

Kouji nodded. "Yep," he muttered, before turning to Kako and asking, "How long will Hideki keep this up?"

"Until he gets what he wants," replied the girl.

"What does he want, again?"

"For Kouichi to confess his love to some girl...?"

Kouji paused, then glared at Hideki. "Oy, old man. Shut up!"

Hideki stopped singing and glared down at Kouji. "Why should I?" he sneered, pulling Kako away and pushing her towards Kouichi. "This doesn't concern you!"

"YES IT DOES!"

Kako blinked and stared at both her brother and Kouji. Noticing this, Kouji turned red, cleared his throat and clarified his sudden outburst with a simple statement, "Kouichi's my brother."

Snorting, Hideki replied, "And Kako's my sister who doesn't need to date you!"

"SO THREE TICKETS BY FRIDAY WOULD BE NICE, JUNPEI," Kouichi said loudly.

Following the act, Junpei yelled, "OKAY."

"GREAT. SO, HAVE YOU HEARD ANY NEWS FROM TOMOKI?"

"ONLY THAT SHINYA'S HEAD WILL SOON BE ON A PLATTER WHEN TAKUYA GETS HIS WAY."

"...ouch..."

"Yeah, I know. Apparently, he ticked off Takuya that much."

"GAH!" Izumi yelled, racing forward and pushing Junpei out of the way. "What do you mean?"

Kouichi laughed and helped the fallen Junpei up. "Ask Junpei," he told Izumi.

Izumi turned to Junpei, a worried look on her face.

"Well," Junpei started, "Tomoki said that Shinya was bugging Takuya about...um...his social life a lot, so Takuya got really annoyed, and now..."

Sighing in relief, Izumi nodded. "As long as it isn't anything bad..."

"That's not bad?" Hideki asked, raising an eyebrow.

_Well, it worked,_ Kouichi thought, turning to Junpei. "Oh, you're taking Takuya's place on Monday, right?"

"Wish I could completely," Junpei muttered, gazing at Izumi. When she shot him a glare, he reddened and nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay. We need Takuya's drum set."

"I have my own..."

"We need _TAKUYA'S_ drum set," Kouichi repeated, slower this time.

Blinking, Junpei turned to Kouji in askance. When the younger twin shrugged, Junpei shrugged and nodded. "Okay."

"So, whoever sees Tomoki or Shinya first, tell them that we'll be coming for the drum set on Monday. Tomoki practically lives there, anyway."

"Okay..."

"But isn't Takuya...overly protective of his drum set?" Izumi asked, worried once more.

Smirking, Kouichi nodded. "Exactly."

-------------------------------------

A/N-

Wow! Two...twenty-ish page long chapters in a row! It's getting more confusing now. It's supposed to.

If you are frustrated because I am stupid and make confusing plots, e-mail/review with your question, and I'll clarify it as best I can. Unless it gives away the story.

Which reminds me, thank you _Catwarrior_ for your opinion. I know the story got boring. I mean, after all, I'm writing it. Er, however, I don't see how you found it...pointless (that I probably couldn't see because...I'm writing it). It would have been nice if you listed some reasons why. But, I must say, almost every story has to have a boring point somewhere. It may be short, it may be wrong. I just realized that after talking to a friend, actually. Sorry that you feel that way, and I don't mean to sound rude...but, no, I won't say what he wanted me to say. That's rude. But hey, everyone's entitled to his or her own opinion, yes? I respect yours very much. Anyway, I hope you are enjoying it now. If you're still reading it...if you are.

And if it's still confusing, well...there _are_ two parts to this. And I _did_ say, 'Ask me a question if you're confused.'

Now, I shall be like every other person and wish that you all have happy holidays!

...I'm very sure you'll like your present. Well, I hope you will. I think you'll like it, anyway.

Thank you _everyone _who reviewed. Sorry, I can't formally thank you until tomorrow.

Review or Flame.


	37. Oh Noes! My Hair!

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

-------------------------------------

Oh Noes! My Hair!

-------------------------------------

"Mom, I have to go out!" Kouichi called out the next day after school.

Ms. Kimura rushed to catch her son before he left. "Not so fast! I have to take you somewhere first. You and Kouji get ready," she instructed. "I'll hurry and finish dinner up."

"But Mom, it's urgent-"

"Kouichi..."

Sighing, Kouichi nodded and went to get his brother.

"Yeah...so..." he heard Kouji mutter.

Curiously, Kouichi stood outside his brother's room, pressing his ear against the closed door to hear better.

"No. I know. Yes, I'm going to. I'm not stupid, Junpei. Shut up. Of course. No, she hasn't forgotten. I haven't either! I already told you, I'm not; Well, I'm glad you were listening the first time! Huh? Kouichi? Oh..."

Kouichi froze and backed away from the door as he heard his brother's approaching footsteps. Innocently, he positioned himself to knock just as Kouji opened the door. "Uh, Kouji, Mom wants you to get-" He took the phone as Kouji shoved it in his hand, then finished, "ready. Get ready. We're apparently going somewhere."

"Whatever," the younger twin grumbled, heading to the living room.

"Hello?" Kouichi muttered into the phone. "Junpei?"

"How'd you guess?"

Guiltily, Kouichi laughed, "Guess I'm psychic? Anyway, tickets?"

"Have them."

"You'll have to drop them off in the mailbox or give them to me right now. Or, better yet, I'll pick them up later."

"Done," Junpei replied. "See you later."

"Right." Kouichi hung up and headed into the living room, where Ms. Kimura sat by her youngest son. "Mom, is he okay?"

"I'm _fine_," Kouji snapped, crossing his arms and looking away.

Now grinning, Kouichi looked to his mother. "Mom...?"

With a sigh, she nodded. "Very well..." she murmured, standing up as Kouichi walked over. "Just...hurry up. We need to go soon."

"Right."

Kouji's eyes widened. "Y-you...wouldn't..."

"What do you think?"

"No!" the younger twin yelled, attempting to scramble away and Kouichi began to tickle him. Between fits of laughter, he managed to yell, "N-no! Kouichi! Come on, give me a break!"

Kouichi snickered and returned, "Not until you tell us what's wrong!"

"Nothing! NOTHING!"

"Kouji, did you call your father?" Ms. Kimura suddenly asked.

The two boys stopped and looked at their mother. As he felt Kouichi stare at him, Kouji nodded quietly. "Yes, Mom..."

Quietly, Ms. Kimura headed to the door. "Hurry up, now. We need to go."

The twins scrambled after their mother, Kouichi after Kouji. Sighing, Kouichi shut the door and paused as his mother locked it. _May the days before Dad comes back be long,_ he hoped, looking at his brother.

Whatever conversation had taken place didn't bode good news.

-------------------------------------

"Uh...why are we here?" Kouichi asked, suddenly freezing as soon as his mother pulled up in front of a salon. "Don't tell me..."

"NO!" Kouji yelled, hands flying to his bandana and hair. "Leave it alone!"

Ms. Kimura shook her head. "Kouji," she told him, "We aren't cutting your hair. We're cutting Kouichi's. You're getting a trim."

"SWEET!"

Kouichi's eyes widened in horror. Grabbing onto his seat, he stuttered, "N-no...wait...I...I DON'T WANNA GO THERE! I'd sooner trust Kouji!"

Kouji raised an eyebrow. "Really...? Because I have a brilliant idea..."

"On second thought, let's go!" said Kouichi, hastily jumping out of the car.

Stiffly, Kouichi walked in, stopping at the sight of the first person in the shop.

Hideki.

"Mom, can we _please_ go somewhere else?" the boy begged, near tears at the thought of what would happen if Hideki cut his hair. "_Please_?"

"Kouichi, all the employees here are well trained. I'm sure you'll like it!" she insisted, going to the front desk.

In the back of his mind, Kouichi shivered as he thought, _Hideki? Well trained in the art of cutting hair? EVEN KOUJI'S BETTER._ Shivering again, Kouichi took a seat and shut his eyes.

Kouji sat by his brother, eyes glued to Hideki. "He is _not_ trimming my hair," the younger boy declared, jabbing his brother's shoulder. "Hey! Did you know he worked here?"

Opening his eyes, Kouichi shook his head warily and replied in a small voice, "Didn't...have...a clue."

"He's going to ruin our hair...especially mine!"

_I'm afraid to think about my own...why can't Mom do it?_ He voiced his thoughts aloud, "Why can't Mom do this...?"

"Because," Ms. Kimura answered, walking over and taking a seat beside her sons, "you have to look nice for Monday!"

"But Mom-"

"Kouichi, you go up first."

Gulping, Kouichi stood up and stared. "N-no...way..." he muttered, slinking to the empty seat and staring in horror as Hideki walked over with a raised eyebrow. Swallowing, Kouichi warned Hideki, "I will...murder...you...if you ruin my hair."

"That's what your twin plans to say too, huh?" Hideki asked. "Shush, shush...I know a style Kako likes!"

"NO!"

"Relax!" Taking out his scissors, Hideki grinned. "Oh, yeah, the girls'll just love you now..."

Kouichi fought with himself to not scream in horror. He shut his eyes and prayed silently that Hideki wouldn't do too much damage.

-------------------------------------

"I look...stupid," Kouichi finally said, staring into the mirror. "Absolutely...stupid."

Frowning, Hideki replied, "Just wait for Monday! It'll grow out a little by then, and it'll look perfect! Man, I'm good!"

The boy groaned, "Why couldn't you trim Kouji's hair, too?"

"Because I'd ruin it beyond repair and would be sued by your mother, then tossed out without a job?" he offered. "But, if it makes you feel better, I'll ruin it next time! Don't worry, don't worry, he won't attract many girls!"

"I DON'T WANT TO ATTRACT ANY!" Kouichi barked.

"So you say..." Hideki had a sly grin plastered on his face. "So you say," he repeated casually, "but what's the truth, Kimura...?"

"Kouichi, are you done?" Kouji called out.

Hopping out of his seat, Kouichi placed both hands on his head to cover his hair and declared, "Yes, and hopefully for a very long time!"

Smiling, Hideki called out after him, "Believe me! You'll be a magnet!"

Kouji sent his twin a questioning look. "Magnet?"

Kouichi sighed and explained, "Hideki thinks his all powerful hair cut will supposedly attract girls. I want my hair back!"

"Do you _want_ to be a girl?" the twin asked.

"NO!"

The younger boy grinned. "You have your answer!"

"But my hair..." wailed Kouichi.

"SHUT UP ALREADY!"

-------------------------------------

"Kouji?"

"Hm?"

"What did Dad say?" Kouichi asked his brother softly as the stared at the TV, a controller in each of their hands.

Kouji fell silent.

"Kouji..."

Drawing a breath, Kouji murmured, "He told me...he'll be coming back in June. And...he wants me to move to Hawaii with him...and..."

"Move?" repeated the older boy.

Kouji nodded.

Kouichi put down his controller and stood up to stretch. "So," he said, "what are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

Turning off the game console, Kouichi told his brother, "Whatever you do, make sure you're positive of the choice. And remember your promise."

Watching his brother head to his room, Kouji really wondered what he wanted-a life with his mother and brother where he could be with his friends, or with his father, stepmother and new sibling, future unknown?

Either way, he would definitely be hurt by the choice he made.

-------------------------------------

Saturday morning was gray and cold, a bad omen in Duskmon's eyes. All of his eyes, in fact. Even as he walked down the streets, he did so with the knowledge that he was being followed. Turning around, he glared down at a little boy in a hat. "Amateur stalker," he snorted.

"Are you Kouichi's digimon? Hi! I'm Shinya, Takuya's little brother. So...does that mean you're Lowemon?" Shinya babbled.

Duskmon frowned. The child seemed fearless, and in many ways like his brother. With a sigh, he snapped, "Do I _look_ like Lowemon?"

"No."

"Do you realize what an insult that is?"

Shinya beamed and replied, "No? Well, I doubt you're Blitzmon, I mean...'blitz,' thunder, you know...and Agunimon's fiery, so that leaves you to be Lowemon! And you look too scary to be Lowemon. Kouichi doesn't look scary. Kouichi's nice! Well, unless he's really ticked off. Takuya told me he punched Kouji one time when he was really, _really_ sick."

Wordlessly, Duskmon continued walking, getting annoyed as soon as he realized the child wasn't giving up. Turning around, he stuck out his blade and demanded, "What do you want, kid?"

"To know who you are."

"Duskmon. Now leave!"

Now frowning, Shinya shook his head. "I can't do that! See," he told Duskmon, "Tomoki and I had a small talk, and I was just wondering, where are the other spirits?"

"Coming to make sure I don't destroy little pipsqueaks like you."

To Duskmon's chagrin, Shinya wasn't the least bit terrified. Instead, the boy grinned widely and said, "That's kinda like all the threats Takuya makes! Are you sure you aren't Agunimon?"

"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!" The warrior of corrupted darkness was losing his patience fast.

Making a face, Shinya muttered, "Okay, okay...just how many other spirits are there?"

Duskmon's answer dripped heavily with sarcasm, "Two thousand, eight hundred and fifty-nine."

"Tomoki told me there's ten!"

"Do the math, kid."

"Do you have another form?"

"Yes, and it eats runts like you for lunch. Beat it, kid."

"What's its name?"

_What would Kouichi do...?_ Duskmon looked around and muttered, "Lowemon." Lowemon appeared beside Duskmon, a confused look on his face. "Take care of the runt before he dies," Duskmon muttered, slinking into the shadows and slowly disappearing.

Lowemon stared at Shinya, then shook his head. "You're Shinya, am I correct?" he asked politely.

"Yep!" Shinya replied, beaming.

A smile graced Lowemon's lips as he murmured, "Then I congratulate you on annoying Duskmon. So, what is it you were bugging him for?"

-------------------------------------

Tomoki frowned at the computer for the longest time before he gave up and went to get a bite to eat. If his brother were at home, maybe he could figure it out, but...

"Why'd he have to be so old?" Tomoki grumbled, stuffing a bagel into his mouth. Things would be getting harder than he could imagine.

-------------------------------------

Kouichi refused to get out of bed. When he did, he refused to go outside. Unfortunately, he had to, as Junpei had the tickets. Once he picked them up, for some reason, he didn't want to go back inside. Instead, he headed to Saito's bookstore and decided to read for a while.

_I must have finished at least five books now,_ he thought, flipping the page in a bored manner. _I don't want to read...I don't want anymore lessons...I just want to sleep, and hide this stupid haircut._

"Haircut?"

Kouichi looked up and nodded. "Hi, Mr. Saito," he murmured.

Mr. Saito chuckled, "That isn't the problem, is it?"

"Frankly, I don't know what the problem is."

"You'll see soon enough." The man paused, then smiled. "A new customer. I'll talk to you later."

"Right..." Kouichi returned to his book as Mr. Saito walked away.

"KOUICHI!"

He looked up with a start, shock on his face. "Wha-whe-who-" he stuttered, looking around wildly.

Shinya ran over and plopped down beside him with a grin. The boy then yanked the book out of his hands and yelled, "Guess what?"

"...Takuya didn't murder you?"

"Yeah, that too, but guess what else?" he asked excitedly.

Kouichi shrugged. "Um...Lowemon, help me out here..."

"Other than the fact that he can see us," Lowemon said with great patience, "Shinya might as well be the next Bokomon."

Silence. "You're...kidding," Kouichi said in disbelief. "How much did you tell him?"

"Everything. He's quite interesting."

Kouichi shook his head. "So, _Bokomon_, what does Ophanimon have planned for us?"

"No clue," Shinya answered, flipping through the book. "Sheesh, this is boring..."

The older boy frowned and muttered, "No wonder Takuya's out to get him. He's worse than Kouji."

"Oh, yeah, how's Kouji? Tomoki says he seems jealous! So does Lowemon!"

"What?"

"Nothing," Lowemon assured Kouichi with a nervous laugh. "Come on, Shinya, I need to tell you more about the Digital World!"

Shinya got up and eagerly followed the digimon, leaving Kouichi and his books. Frowning, Kouichi stood up and thought about Lowemon's behavior.

_First a party, then...Kouji jealous? Why are they spouting things that make no sense? Digimon can be so weird,_ he decided. _Now...I think I'll go look through Marise's diary, staring blankly at blank pages...wondering...how...I'll ever find that locket._

After all, he had nothing better to do.

-------------------------------------

Kanaye typed furiously at the computer, wondering why he was even bothering. _I've assured he can't get in. None of them can. Not without the code. So why am I bothering?_ It was a question he pondered many times. But despite that, he continued to type away.

Ai refused to talk to him at all. He didn't care. Not when he was so close to reaching his goal...she would apologize later, anyway. Everything was going just as he planned. No one would catch on, not even _her_. Especially not her. She would regret even calling for this.

"Soon," he murmured, leaning back in his chair with a sigh.

It would all come together in his favor soon.

-------------------------------------

Dinner was quiet.

Kouji kept picking at his food. Kouichi felt as if his stomach was non-existent. Ms. Kimura ate quietly, wondering what was wrong with her sons. After she left for bed, the two still sat there, picking at their food.

"H-hey...Kouichi?" Kouji asked in a barely audible voice. His voice was almost timid, something that surprised the older twin. "What do you think...I should do?"

Everything fell quiet once more before Kouichi spoke up. "Depends on what you're talking about exactly," he said slowly, his eyes locking with his brother's. There was a blank look on his face. Only, he knew exactly what the younger twin was talking about.

Kouji snapped weakly, "You know what."

"Enlighten me."

"Y-you know...well, about several things. First...well, I didn't tell you the whole story, but Dad has a new business, right?" the younger boy whispered desperately. Kouichi nodded. "Well, he wants me to move to Hawaii, right? But...but that means leaving everything behind."

'_I don't understand. Mom wouldn't want us to move. Why are we moving?_' Kako's diary entry came flashing back into his mind. '_I miss everyone back at Shibuya._' Was that how Kouji would feel? Shutting his eyes, Kouichi let out a frustrated sigh. Everything was more complex than it looked. One second, the answer would seem so simple. The next, ten other answers joined it.

"Kouichi?"

Opening his eyes, Kouichi blinked in surprise. "Uh...I...Kouji, I can't really answer that. Several factors determine the answer. Like, how long would you stay there? Would you coming back? And...would you visit?" When his brother sighed, Kouichi forced a smile and continued, "You know, as long as you can visit, it's fine. What would be the real problem is if you never did visit. I really don't want our family to be separated again. I'd prefer Dad rejected the offer, but...that would be bad business, huh?"

Kouji looked at his food miserably, silent while Kouichi put away his plate and came back. "The other thing," he said slowly. "I...I need advice on that more than anything."

"What is it?"

"So," Kouji said quickly, hoping it wouldn't be too suspicious if he said everything quickly, "Suppose this guy forced a girl to date her, but the girl only did it because she wanted to make guy two jealous. But guy two was oblivious and guy one slowly fell in love with girl one. And then girl two asks guy two out, and guy two accepts, and girl one is jealous, and guy one is jealous that girl one is jealous and guy two is the one she really loves. What...should guy one do?"

"W-well...uh..." Kouichi stuttered. _He seems to be asking all the questions I _can't_ answer._ "Well, can't guy two...just open his eyes?"

Kouji dropped his head. "But then...guy one will be sad...and..."

Sighing, Kouichi looked at the ceiling awkwardly. "W-would it work if guy two was with girl one and guy one was with girl two?"

There was silence once more. Kouji stood up and nodded, "Yeah, but...I don't think the guy one with girl two would work. Other than that...I guess..."

Smiling crookedly, Kouichi asked, "So what was that about?"

Kouji just shook his head. "Nothing," he replied softly. "Is it okay if I skip dishes tonight?"

"I'm fine."

"Thanks." Kouji stood up and headed to his room.

Kouichi stood alone in the room, shivering. '..._the girl only did it because she wanted to make guy two jealous. But guy two was oblivious and guy one slowly fell in love with girl one. And then girl two asks guy two out...'_ The worst part was he knew pretty much exactly what it meant.

He didn't want it to be true.

Kouichi quickly did the dishes and headed to his room. Maybe he could forget the whole incident during the night.

Maybe. Hopefully.

-------------------------------------

"He's still asleep?"

"Uh...I guess."

"Wow, how late did he stay up?"

"This is my stupid fault...I should have helped him with the dishes..."

A sigh. "Well, we could always let him sleep in..."

"NO!"

Kouichi opened his eyes and sat up. "W-wait...don't tell me..."

"Morning, sunshine," Kako replied with a smirk. "I like your haircut."

Turning red, Kouichi laid back down and pulled the covers over his head. "I'll wake up when the nightmare's over."

"GET OUT OF BED!"

"OW!"

-------------------------------------

"Sheesh, you didn't have to kick me!" Kouichi snapped, wishing more than anything that he had his hat.

Kako shrugged, examining her ticket in a bored fashion. "It was either that or wait. And I'm not exactly the most patient person in the world."

Kouichi caught her staring at his hair. Glaring, he snapped, "Leave my hair alone."

"I'm not _doing_ anything."

"You're staring! That's enough. And it's your brother's fault in the first place!"

Kako's face betrayed her surprise. "Wow, say what?"

Kouji frowned. Rolling his eyes, Kouichi asked, "You don't even know where he works?"

"Well," Kako said slowly, "He works all over the place! I just never knew he would choose a _hair salon_...of all places..." She fell quiet for a while, imagining her brother cutting Kouichi's hair and then bursting into laughter. "Gosh, that's a good joke! You sure it wasn't an evil twin?"

"OH! I'm wearing my evil twin shirt!" Kouji exclaimed proudly.

Kouichi froze. "Uh...gee...thanks..." he mumbled awkwardly, not sure what to think. "We all have to know that..." _Please tell me we're almost there_...

"Okay, we're here!" Ms. Kimura announced. "Kouichi, you'll call?"

"Yep."

"Good." As soon as the three got out of the car, Ms. Kimura waved and said, "Be safe, and have a good time!"

Kouichi nodded and they headed to the entrance.

-------------------------------------

A/N-

Short chapter, sorry. See, I was looking for amusement parks that were hopefully real that they could go to, but they all seem so kiddy. So, imagine an amusement park like the Hanayashiki one in Asakusa or just imagine Great America. Grr...Now that I look at the maps, I believe I may have screwed up in one area or another...

Anyway, about chapter 35...

You know the feeling when you have summer vacation (w00t) and then you come back to school and they randomly give you a math test? That isn't the best example, but that's what happened to my brain. See, Sakai, Kawai, the name only has two letters different. Actually, only one letter difference. One letter's out of place.

So, I attempt to blame my stupidity on the break. Can't do that. It's a bad habit, actually. It's like me writing stupid instead of student. My hands shoot for the 'pid' instead of the 'dent.'

Once more?

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Thank You for the Reviews-

**GemmaniGirl, PrincessKaze, Catwarrior, Lady Hikari-Yami, Konfused Kitty**

Review or Flame.


	38. Paradise Packs A Punch

Disclaimer-For the second to last time (hopefully) in this story, I don't own Digimon.

A/N-...Dedicated to Jason. Sadly. Just kidding, hopefully he never reads this. But only because the last chapter's title was made up because of all of his, "Oh noes! OH NOES! MY HISTORY HOMEWORK! GONE! Missing! Gah...Oh noes. Oh well."

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Paradise Packs A Punch

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"Weeeh! Let's go on it again!" Kako laughed.

Kouichi did his best to stay awake. Shaking his head, he mumbled, "I'll sit out. It's too...too boring."

Eyes wide, Kouji blurted, "Boring?" After a slight pause, he realized Kouichi had no intention of confirming the statement. Again, he repeated, "Boring? What land do you live in? That was the awesomest roller coaster in...in the universe and beyond!"

The older boy sighed. Snatching his bag from the ground, he explained in a sarcastic tone, "When you've gone on the same ride there times over early in the morning, which isn't so early because you wake up earlier, the ride is beyond boring. It's absolutely stupid." There wasn't even the slightest hint of mercy in his voice. "I'm going to sit out and remain sane, thank you."

Kako and Kouji exchanged glances before shaking their heads.

"You know," the girl commented, "I'm a little hungry myself."

"Considering it's past twelve?" The sarcasm failed to leave Kouichi's voice.

Kouji turned pale. "Y-you mean..."

"He can last that long without food?" Kako asked skeptically. Although she sounded shocked, her face clearly showed every ounce of her amusement. "That's definitely news that everyone should know."

Kouji went from pale to pink in a matter of seconds. "Sh-shut up," he sputtered, hands outstretched as he stormed towards Kako.

"Okay, so who wants food?" Kouichi rolled his eyes as Kako hid behind him to avoid Kouji. When no one answered, he let out a sigh and said stoically, "No one? Fine with me."

"Hey! I do!" Kako exclaimed. She yanked on the back of his jacket and furiously demanded, "Food!"

A smirk appeared on Kouji's face. He snickered, "_I_ lasted? What about you?"

"Oh hush! I need chocolate!"

Horrified, the boys chorused, "NO, you don't!"

A shiver ran down Kouichi's spine. He took out the park map from his backpack, pushing aside thoughts of a chocolate-high Kako. Scanning it, he murmured aloud, "We can go through one or two more rides on the way to the food court."

"Cool!" Kako tapped Kouji's shoulder and smiled innocently. "Thanks for volunteering to buy the food!"

Kouji frowned. "Uh...a-about that..." He turned to his twin. "Hello, best biggest brother in the history of Earth and beyond! Surely you-" The younger boy laughed nervously when Kouichi pulled out his wallet. "W-well, that's cool-"

_Idiot_. Kouichi winced and looked around, trying to locate Duskmon's voice. _Why do you let them do that?_

_Duskmon...where are you?_ Kouichi frowned. He looked up at the clouds and averted his gaze to a nearby roller coaster. Nothing. There was no sign of any digimon anywhere. _Lowemon isn't here too, right?_ Again, no answer. Kouichi sighed impatiently. He turned back to Kouji and ignored the looks he received from his brother and Kako.

"Uh...are you okay?" Kouji asked. An eyebrow was raised.

Kouichi nodded. "Well? Let's go."

----------------------------------------

"I'm _hungry_. Can we _please_ get food now?" Kako whined, a hand at her stomach.

Kouji shot his brother a glare, and the older twin sighed, digging out his wallet. "What do you want?"

Kako sat down on a bench and shrugged, scanning the area. Finally, she decided, "Lemonade ICEE. Please?"

"Kouji?"

"Nah, I'm good."

Kouichi nodded and walked off to buy the lemonade. It then occurred to Kouji what a mistake that was. Nervously, he looked at Kako, stiffly turning to her. "Uh...uhm..."

"Hm?" Kako looked up and frowned. "Are you okay, Kouji? You seem kinda...nervous."

"I'm fine," he assured her, taking a seat on the bench as well. "Monday's coming up..."

"Yeah...Monday..."

Kouji looked at her from the corner of his eye. His spirits seemed to lift. She wasn't looking forward to Monday any more than he was...or so it looked like. "So, having fun?" he asked, relaxing a bit.

She nodded and turned her head to him. "Hey, you said you were acting like a dork because of that bet with Takuya, right?" He nodded, surprised she still remembered. "Well," Kako continued, "Will you still get your money? I mean, after all that's taken place..."

"Here you go." Kouichi shoved the lemonade in front of Kako, silencing her.

Kako stared a while before accepting it. "Thank you," she yelled, jumping up and taking a sip.

Kouichi nodded absentmindedly and stared at his own lemonade. "Anyway...another ride, I presume?" He looked to Kouji for an answer.

But the younger twin was staring intently at Kako. "You know, the saddest part about this is," Kouji muttered, "now that you guys have food...I'm hungry."

Muffled laughter escaped Kako's mouth. She covered her mouth with a hand and looked at Kouji with a smirk plastered on her face. He shivered as she walked up to him and stuck the lemonade out. "Well...all the better for me," she said slowly, withdrawing the lemonade before he took it.

Kouji stared in shock before his eyes narrowed. Growling, he stuck out a hand, trying to get the lemonade from Kako. "Come on," he whined. "Just give me a sip!"

The older twin sat down on the bench, watching with mild interest. _You know_, he told himself,_ he could always steal mine...but I suppose love does that to you...?_

"No way! Yum, food," Kako teased, taking a long drink, all the while smirking.

Irritated, Kouji managed to catch her. "Hah, what do you say now?" he muttered, pressing his lips against hers.

Kouichi nearly spit out his lemonade. Choking, he made his way to a garbage can, spitting out the lemonade and taking several deep breaths. _Count on Kouji to do the unexpectedly obvious_, he thought, wiping his mouth. _And why do I always have to be drinking something when something like this happens? It isn't fair._

Kako began to cough as Kouji pulled away, now smirking. "HAH, take that!" he declared, pointing at her in triumph.

"Kouji, put down your hand, it's rude to point," Kouichi scowled, staring at his lemonade in disgust. "And take my lemonade...I don't want it."

"SWEET!"

Twitching, Kako turned to Kouichi angrily. "Why didn't you just do that before?" she snapped.

"Because...it was only when he decided to be a really big idiot and kiss you that I choked on it. And now, I'll never be able to drink lemonade without choking," Kouichi concluded on a down note.

Kouji snatched his brother's lemonade and frowned at Kako. "Oh, come on, it wasn't _that_ bad."

"IT WAS. YOU NEARLY CHOKED ME, IDIOT!" she snapped, shoving the lemonade in his face. "Here, you can have it! I don't want it."

The younger twin took the lemonade with wide eyes. "G-Give me a break! You don't expect me to finish them both, do you?" he asked, near hysterics.

Shooting him a cold glare, Kako snapped, "Of course we do."

Kouji turned to his brother for help, but Kouichi merely shrugged. "Don't look to me for help," he simply replied. "So I guess we all aren't hungry anymore. Good."

Before he could even protest, Kouji found his brother and Kako walk to the nearest ride, discussing the possibilities of how exciting it might be. Grumbling, he dumped one cup of lemonade into his mouth, praying he wouldn't get a brain freeze.

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"G-Gah...head...hurts," Kouji stuttered. He was shivering still. The second cup of lemonade ICEE lay melted in his hand. "M-Must...fin-ish...th-...this one, tooooo..."

"He's not okay," Kako declared. "Why did he just stuff the entire cup into his mouth? That's like...stuffing an entire pizza into your mouth!" she shrieked as they continued to walk around aimlessly.

Kouichi shrugged, sending his brother a worried look. "I wonder if he's okay now, too. I mean...shouting at seagulls?"

A feather had fallen into Kouji's cup, and he was now on a long rant, blaming the seagulls for a waste of food. As Kouji continued, Kouichi turned pale. "I..." he shivered, "wonder if he's really my brother, too. Since when did Kouji rant about wasting food?"

Kako shrugged, equally confused. Her eyes swept the ground in a bored manner until they found another feather. "Huh. The seagulls seem to be shedding a lot of feathers," she observed. She looked at Kouichi, who struggled to get Kouji to be quiet. "Wonder why...?"

"Um, Kako, why are they all hovering over you?"

Looking at the ground, and then the sky, Kako's eyes widened. "U-Uh...I...I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be back really quick!" she blurted, racing off.

Kouji frowned in confusion, his head now clear. "Wait! I'LL GO WITH YOU!"

"PERVERT!" came the yell.

Kouji covered his mouth at realization of what he had said. "Kouichi, go follow her!" he hissed.

A baffled look appeared on the older twins face. "Into the bathroom?"

"NO! Follow her to make sure some creep doesn't...do something!"

Kouichi sighed, but complied. He noticed, as he did, that the birds seemed to follow Kako as well, along with a trail of feathers.

Feathers.

_Feathers...kinda like the one's in my dream_, he realized, picking one up. A frown replaced his confusion, but he just shook his head and pushed the thought aside. "Kako's way too much trouble," he muttered, waiting outside the bathroom.

----------------------------------------

Several minutes later, Kako stumbled out, rubbing her eyes. "Sh-...shoot...I knew I sh-AH, KOUICHI, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

Kouichi opened his eyes, letting out a yawn as he stretched. "Kouji wanted me to follow you."

Her eyes widened as she asked, "INTO THE BATHROOM?"

"No, thank whatever. He could have done it himself," the boy muttered, feeling a bit stiff. "I knew I shouldn't have fallen asleep..."

"You were asleep?"

He shrugged. "I guess. Well, we might as well go find Kouji and his panicking brain."

Kako's eyes searched his before she shut them and nodded quietly. "Y-yeah...I guess we should," she murmured softly, looking at her shoes.

"Kako..."

She smiled. Turning to him, she punched a hand into the air and declared, "Anyway, I'm actually hungry now! Can we get some food before meeting up with Kouji? I kinda wanna finish it before he does something."

Kouichi chuckled and nodded. "And I'll make sure I don't buy any food this time, either," he added.

The two exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.

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"You're positive they're here?" Kanaye looked around the park. A look of disgust appeared on his face. The children, the smiles, the laughs, he hated them all.

He was a very cynical boy.

The other boy nodded. "They should come back soon. In fact...they should have been back sooner," he murmured, annoyance plain in his tone. Kanaye laughed and pulled out his sword. The boy stepped back. "How did you get that in here?"

"Let's just say, I don't go through the front entrance." He paused, then drew the blade, pointing it at the second boy. A smirk donned his face. Seconds later, the boy was on the floor, clutching his side. Kanaye chuckled, "A lucky dodge. I must say, though, I don't reward traitors greatly. You may regret this, you realize. He may not live."

A dull thud answered him.

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"I wonder...where he is," Kouichi muttered, starting to get worried. The two had returned to the exact spot where they had left Kouji. The now dirty feathers on the ground were more than enough to show that it was the correct spot. But Kouji remained lost to them.

Kako clung onto Kouichi's arm, shivering slightly as a cool breeze blew. Her eyes darted around nervously. The feeling in her stomach didn't make her worry any less. Trembling, she whispered, "Something's wrong...the air doesn't feel right."

Kouichi frowned and scanned the area a third time. Nothing, still. _Lowemon...? Duskmon...? Agunimon or Blitzmon? Anyone? Can't you _please_ find Kouji?_ Despite his begs and pleas, no one answered.

Several yells and screams startled the two from their search. Kako's grip tightened on Kouichi's arm. Biting back a yell, Kouichi whirled around, only to find Kanaye in front of them, sword drawn out.

His mind froze.

_Duskmon...where are you when I need you?_ Kouichi wriggled his arm out of Kako's grasp and handed her his backpack. "Hold this..." He took off his jacket and pulled out his D-Tector. "And this," he added, tossing her his jacket.

Kako stumbled back, falling down onto the bench, eyes wide with fright. Kouichi, however, kept his eyes glued onto Kanaye, not even daring to blink.

_Where are _any_ of the digimon when I need them? And where's Kouji_?

Indeed, where _was_ Kouji?

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Lowemon looked up at the cloudy sky. "An ominous look," he declared, looking around the busy streets.

With a snort, Duskmon reminded him, "Kouichi's at the amusement park, remember?"

There was silence.

A loud thud sounded. Duskmon winced as Lowemon's shield met his head. "That...hurt," he muttered.

"You. Didn't. GO WITH HIM?"

"I thought _you_ would."

"THEN HURRY UP! BECAUSE WE CAN'T TRUST HIM ALONE!"

Sulking, Duskmon went into the shadows, grumpy at Lowemon's attitude. _And I thought _I_ was paranoid..._

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"What are you doing here?" Kouichi snapped, wondering exactly how to get the sword out of the D-Tector.

Kanaye let out a laugh. "Simple, isn't it? I'm here to destroy you."

_Typical evil guy, only my age._ _Only, it doesn't make sense._ Shaking his head, Kouichi asked, "And...why is that?"

"BECAUSE HE'S A JEALOUS LOSER!" Kako yelled, holding up the backpack to hide her face.

"Kako..."

Kanaye snorted and Kako shrunk behind the backpack even more. "Hardly the case. You're like the rest of them."

"'The rest of them?'" Kouichi repeated. "And that means?"

"The stupid vermin...heh...they don't have a right to live."

Kouichi's eyes narrowed into a glare. _Come on, sword...how do I get you out?_

A laugh pierced the air. "Stuck, Kouichi? Let me help you out!"

His mind was sent reeling as Kanaye charged towards him. Passer-by stared, he heard Kako yell. Kouji wasn't there. Duskmon and Lowemon were gone. The sword...

_How do I get out the sword?_ Kouichi shut his eyes, his fists clenching. _Come on...sword. D-Tector, don't fail me now!_

"Ready?"

_NO!_ Kouichi opened his eyes, widening them at the sight of his sword. A small yelp escaped his mouth as he barely parried the attack. "Y-you...you're risking the lives of all the people in the park, you know," he breathed, grip tightening on the hilt.

A smirk. Kanaye sneered, "Do they really matter that much? In fact, does everyone matter that much to you? I'm amazed."

"How did you know we were here?" Kouichi snapped, swinging the blade forward to give himself some space. As he expected, Kanaye stepped back. "It's called vacation time, and frankly, I like mine _without_ wierdos like you."

Kanaye's eyes glittered dangerously. Before he knew what was happening, Kouichi found himself on the defensive, barely blocking each attack Kanaye threw at him. "How did I know you were here? Good question," Kanaye hissed, nearly managing to trip Kouichi. As he stumbled back, Kanaye lunged forward, "Why don't you think about the person closest to you!"

"J-Junpei wouldn't," Kouichi muttered weakly. He rolled out of the way and stood up, sword pointed at Kanaye. "And put that thing away! You're going to hurt someone!"

"Yes...you!" Kanaye launched another attack. "Of course not Junpei. Ever thought of someone closer? But they must not be that close, to give away your position like that."

_Concentrate,_ Kouichi begged his mind. _He's trying to throw you off! Don't let him!_ "No one would do that!"

He laughed, "Not everyone finds you the innocent little boy you are, Kouichi. That innocence is the very reason you are so hated."

"I never said everyone liked me," Kouichi snapped, countering the attack. _He's trying to lower my defenses. And it's working._ Attempting an attack, he demanded, "Who _told_ you?"

Kako's eyes widened from behind the backpack as she continued to listen in on their fight. A crowd was gathering.

There was no sign of Kouji.

_Don't tell me,_ Kako thought miserably, taking the items Kouichi had entrusted her with and racing off. _Kouji, where the hell are you?_

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He was close. Kouji sucked in some air and pulled himself onto a nearby bench. His vision was blurry. Everything was out of place...distant.

"Kouji!"

He couldn't even recognize that voice.

"Kouji Minamoto, you idiot!"

"K...who..." he whispered, his eyes slowly sliding shut.

"No! Don't! I can't carry you, you know!"

Despite the pain, he managed to sit up and gaze at the person. The picture wasn't clear. Blurry edges...but...the voice...

"Kouji?" Kako stepped back, chewing her bottom lip nervously. "Are you...you did, didn't you?"

He wanted to fall asleep. "I...what?"

Kako's voice rose, "What happened?"

Kouji screamed weakly and doubled over, clutching his side. He ignored Kako's worried questions and stared at the ground.

He remembered now.

_What kind of idiot am I?_ He wanted to throw up. It was disgusting...he had betrayed his own brother. All because he couldn't be the best. "Kako," he whispered weakly. "Kouichi...he..."

"He's fighting Kanaye, thanks to you," she told him in a grave voice. "Kouji, why did you-"

"Be quiet...someone's going to call the cops, and then...it should stop, soon. Not everyday you see two kids carrying swords around and fighting in an amusement park." He laughed weakly, cringing as he stood up. "Wh...where is he?"

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_DUSKMON WHERE ARE YOU?_ Kouichi winced as he fell onto a bench. "Shoot," he muttered, jumping out in time just as Kanaye brought his blade down to slice it in half. _Don't tell me that was metal. LOWEMON!_

_Kouichi!_ Kouichi looked to his right and found a furious Duskmon and Lowemon. _Why didn't you take us?_

_I thought you-_ Kouichi barely dodged as Kanaye continued attacking, each one more furious than the other. _I thought you would just follow!_

Lowemon scowled, _We aren't trained puppy dogs!_ _At least, I'm not._

_I'd possess you, but,_ Duskmon started.

"GAH!" Kouichi let out a yell as the blade sliced into his left shoulder.

Again. Another shirt ruined.

_Mom's _really_ going to throw a fit...Duskmon, Lowemon, just leave me for now. I can't get much help from you anyway. And Takuya can't help me, either...neither can Kou_-

Kouichi stopped, barely parrying another of Kanaye's attacks. His eyes widened. _No...it can't be._ Kanaye sent him back flying. Weakly, Kouichi tried to get to his feet, succeeding. "K-...you...won't," he stuttered a while, unable to get out the sentence. Kouichi fell forward, and the sword disappeared, returning to the D-Tector.

Kanaye smirked, walking over and pointing his sword in front of Kouichi. As Kouichi looked up at the sword, he sneered, "Now, I'll get rid of you. Any last words? No? Good..."

Shutting his eyes, Kouichi braced himself to meet cold metal.

It never came.

"Kid, you okay?"

Kouichi opened an eye, slowly opening the other. A man was standing in front of him, a worried look on his face. "Uh...y-yeah..." he mumbled, sitting up and clutching his D-Tector tightly.

"Kouichi!"

He looked up in surprise. _Kako...? And...Ko...Kouji,_ he thought, his mouth running dry. For some reason, he couldn't stand it. Kouichi drew a breath. "Kouji..."

Kouji looked at his feet quietly.

That was confession enough to Kouichi. Confused and hurt, he murmured, "Why...did you...?"

He didn't remember anything but darkness after.

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"Is he okay?"

"He should be."

"You, girl! Do you know what happened?"

Eyes wide with worry, Kako shook her head immediately. _If I tell them, it's not like they'd be able to do anything about it,_ she decided.

She wanted to go home.

But she needed to make sure they were safe.

_God_,_ twins are such_..._troublemakers_.

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Kouji sat on the couch quietly. His mother let out a sigh as she lay her eyes on him, then returned to the kitchen.

The twins were allowed to go home, much to their amazement. Kouji's wound wasn't too deep, and Kouichi was merely drained of energy. Kouji had been bandaged up. Kouichi was still unconscious.

He felt like a failure. He _was_ a failure.

His eyes turned to Kako, who sat beside him, staring at her shoes. A small debate went on in his head. _Break the silence? No. What could I possibly say? 'Yeah, I hate my brother, because he can best me in everything.' Sure. That'll stop her from crying._ The thought shocked him. Is_ she crying?_ Worried, he glanced at her face.

No tearstains were evident on her face. In fact, her face was void of any emotion.

He didn't think that was such a good sign.

"Kouji..."

Kouji tore his eyes away from Kako and turned to his mother. "Y-yes?"

Ms. Kimura smiled a little. Drawing a breath, she suggested, "Why don't you go see if Kouichi's awake? They said he was only physically drained. It's been about an hour, now."

_An hour's enough? Okay_, he thought glumly. "Kako...? You wa-"

Wordlessly, Kako stood up and nodded, heading to Kouichi's room before him.

Guilt bubbled in Kouji's stomach. He felt as if he had the wind knocked out of him.

Again.

_She hates me. She probably does,_ he thought, sulking after her.

The door was open, and the two made their way in. Kouichi lay on the bed, eyes shut, asleep. Kouji could see Lowemon and Duskmon furiously glaring at each other, then turning their attention to Kouichi every few seconds.

It was his fault.

"Kouichi," he whispered to himself, "you hate me, huh?"

Kako turned to him. "Kouji," she muttered, tears now falling, "if you want to know..."

Kouji winced, stepping away from her. She was angry with him. It was only right. _Is this...how Takuya felt after I took the hit for him when we fought Duskmon? Then again, that isn't the best comparison. _He_ didn't give away our position_. "So...he hates me," he said aloud. _Because...I'm an idiot. Kouji Minamoto, the boy who's supposed to be the guy with great skill and intelligence, has reduced himself to an idiot who doesn't even deserve the spirit of the warrior of light_.

"Don't be stupid," came a soft voice. Kouji averted his gaze to the bed. Wincing, Kouichi sat up and opened his eyes. "I can't hate you."

"YOU don't be stupid!" Kouji suddenly snapped. "I nearly got you _killed_. Hate me!"

A small smile appeared on Kouichi's face as he explained, "But I can't. You're my brother."

The younger twin was furious. "All the more reason you should!"

His brother sighed. Rubbing his tired eyes, Kouichi laughed. An apologetic smile formed as he whispered, "But you're my brother. We're family. We're twins. We're friends."

Tears silently flowed out of Kouji's eyes as he gazed at his brother. "Y-you're...too damn _nice_," he hissed. A choked sob followed. "Just...stop it!"

"Stop crying, you look stupid," the older twin retorted. "And you're making me feel uncomfortable."

Kako burst out laughing, sniffing every once in a while. Despite his anger, Kouji couldn't help but join her. Kouichi smiled at the two before turning to the digimon and mouthing a thank you. After the laughter died down, Kouichi asked, "Hey...Kako, do you have to go now?"

She nodded. "If I know the press, they'll probably have it on the news by now. And...then, Hideki'll get worried. And Dad's coming back tomorrow," finished the girl, suddenly turning stiff. Noticing his questioning look, she just smiled.

"Are you going to walk home?"

"Uh...yeah."

"Then do you mind if I come? I feel kind of stiff."

Kouji sent a glowering look in his brother's direction. "How many times do we have to say this? DON'T BE STUPID. You need rest more than anything."

"No," whined Kouichi. "I can get rest later. I need a walk. And fresh air. And..." He paused and thought, _More lessons from Saito, for one_.

"And?"

"And a walk," he concluded firmly. "So there."

Kako let out a nervous laugh. "Uh, are you sure-"

"Yes."

"But Kouichi-"

"Yes."

"No, I don't think-"

"Yes, it's a great idea, I know," he commented, picking up his jacket, which rested beside his bed. Turning to Kako, he added, "Thank you for saving my jacket and backpack."

She didn't know what to say. "Anytime...?" replied Kako.

Kouichi stood up and put his jacket on. Just as he was about to walk out of the room, he fell forward.

Kako and Kouji winced at the impact, then helped him up.

Withholding a laugh, Kouji asked, "You were saying? Your legs don't feel up to supporting you, in my opinion. Get some more rest."

Kouichi was adamant. "No," he snapped, getting up and managing to walk to the couch before falling.

"At least he fell on the couch," Kako murmured. Kouji nodded.

"MOM," Kouichi shouted, "Can I go for a walk?"

Ms. Kimura practically raced out of the kitchen to see him. "No," she replied.

His face fell. "B-but..."

"No."

"Mom!"

"No."

"...Kouji..."

"No," Kouji sang.

"Oh come on!"

"NO!" his family and Kako chorused angrily.

He slumped back in his seat. In a grumpy voice, he asked, "If Kouji goes with me, can I?"

His mother paused. "W-well..."

"Well?" he pressed.

"Oh, fine. As long as Kouji goes."

"That way _you_ don't collapse halfway," Kouji muttered.

Kouichi shot him a glare, but remained silent. "WELL, KOUJI? HURRY UP AND HELP ME UP."

_...not back to this again._ Kouji made a face and stormed over to his brother. _Exactly like the time he broke his arm. EXACTLY._ _Only_...

As soon as they made it outside, Kouichi whacked his brother away. "No, let me go," he snapped, attempting to make it down the stairs himself.

Kouichi fell forward.

Again.

Kako slapped her forehead in exasperation as Kouichi let out a groan. Stifling his laughter, Kouji helped his brother up. "You _idiot_," Kako growled, turning to Kouichi. "_STOP_ refusing his _stupid_ help and just _shut_ up and _walk_." She added, "With his help, of course."

"This is ridiculous," Kouichi grumbled, folding his arms and shooting a glare at Kouji or Kako anytime they tried to help.

Kako sighed. It would be one long walk...

----------------------------------------

"Wooh! We made it!" Kouji yelled happily. _And we're all alive_…

Kako rolled her eyes. "Are you _sure_ you aren't tired, Kouichi?" she asked the older boy.

Kouichi nodded. _Why am I tired? I've only been out for an hour or so. Even if I _am_ still physically drained_...

He was confused. Was it supposed to be this bad?

With a frown, Kako declared, "Liar." She opened the door and turned to the twins. "Come in if you want. I'll go see where Hideki is. I'm _pretty_ sure he knows _some_ medical junk..."

Kouji pushed his wide-eyed twin inside. When he came to his senses, Kouichi headed for the door. "I'm...going to wait outside," he muttered.

Suspicion was aroused. "Why?" Kouji questioned grabbing Kouichi's arm.

"B-because."

"You've never been to her house before, have you?" Kouji asked. He didn't have to. He knew.

Kouichi slumped his shoulders. With a sigh, he confessed, "I...never really made it past the front door."

"Huh."

Kako's shrill voice pierced the silence, "HIDEKI STOP TRYING TO MAKE OUT WITH HER!"

A thud. "OW!"

"STOP IT!"

Another thud. "OWWW!"

"That should teach him," Kako muttered, walking up to the two. "Hey...you aren't going anywhere."

Kouichi shook his head. "I have to go."

"No you don't. Shut up and stay. Rai's here, so that's even better. Because I actually _know_ she won't end up murdering you by accident."

"Eh...gee, thanks for the heads up about Hideki," Kouji muttered.

Kako shrugged. "It's like your hair cut, right?"

At the mention of his hair, Kouichi's face burned. He turned away from the two, releasing his hand from Kouji's grip.

"Okay, okay, what's up?" Ms. Kawai looked at Kako with amusement.

Kako pointed to Kouichi. "Him. Kanaye. Attack. Can't walk," she summarized.

"I see..." Ms. Sakai frowned and turned around the red-faced Kouichi, scrutinizing him for several minutes before declaring, "All he needs to do is get some rest."

"HAH! I WAS RIGHT!" Kouji snapped.

Hideki appeared behind Rai, hands slipping around her waist. "I hear a twerp," he growled. His glare disappeared as he gazed at Kouichi. Doing his best not to laugh, Hideki asked, "What's with him?"

Rai's face held a sour look. "Hideki?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes, dear?"

"Mind moving your hands, idiot?"

Grumbling, Hideki let her go and turned around to mutter to himself.

"Can I go now?" Kouichi asked, his face still red.

Kako looked away and nodded. "Uh...sorry about that."

"Uh-no! I didn't mean like-ACK!" Not trusting himself to speak, Kouichi bit his tongue. Turning away from everyone, he began to hit his head on the wall, eyes shut.

"K-Kouichi..." Kako winced at every hit. She turned helplessly to Rai, but her teacher merely shrugged.

Kouji attempted prying his brother away, which resulted in Kouichi nearly falling over. However, Kouji fell over instead, nose almost hitting the floor.

With a sigh, Hideki snapped, "Stop making a dent in the wall."

Kouichi rested his head on the wall, quiet. His eyes flickered open. Finally, he pushed off and bowed to Kako. "Sorry to impose," he murmured quietly, heading out the door. "Kouji, let's go."

"'Kouji let's go?' That's all I get after I nearly break my nose?" Kouji cried hysterically, hands covering his nose. "I'll have you know, I could have _died_!"

"Sorry," the older twin murmured with a sigh, ignoring his brother as Kouji began to rant.

Kako shifted uncomfortably as they walked off, then sighed. "Tomorrow's another day..."

A smirk appeared on Hideki's face. He had nearly forgotten. "Oh, yeah," he said casually, "A great day, tomorrow is."

Kako made a face and stormed to her room.

----------------------------------------

A/N-

I really liked this chapter. Kind of. Better than a few. Anyway, next chapter'll be interesting (maybe). Because...well, it _should_ be the last one! (Will it?) Ahahah, ah...hem, well anyway...

I'm sorry. I really am. If ever the story was confusing, if ever you felt like making me die because I'm a horrible writer, I'm sorry. Because, I'm only human. So, before the last chapter, I'd like to apologize for all I've done to you!

Thank You for the reviews-

**GemmaniGirl, PrincessKaze, Catwarrior, Winter's Light, ****Snowy Leopardess**

Happier Holidays I wish you, now!

Review or Flame.


	39. A Deepening Plot

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon. This is the second to last time in the story I'll have to state it.

A/N- Dedicated to another friend. Charlie, I'm sure you'd be perfect for the part of Kouji in this story. Guitar, normal guy idiocy...it'd work.

-------------------------------------

A Deepening Plot

-------------------------------------

Kouichi sighed as he stood out of Ogata's classroom. Ms. Kawai had told him to go there, but...

He didn't want to go. That much was obvious.

Gulping, Kouichi reached for the handle and pushed the door open.

"Eh? Late delinquent number one? Who-oh," said the familiar voice. It sounded disappointed. "The twerp's brother."

Kouichi froze at the voice. _NO_, he told himself.

"Sit," Hideki commanded, sitting on the teachers desk and looking at the clock. "Cool. Okay! I'm going to be the best sub in the world and burn _all_ your homework! Not really. You all get 'A's! Unless you're the twerp, Kanaye, or another twerp. And...do whatever you want! Yeah. Do whatever. Or do nothing. Why am I doing this? Because I feel like it! And it's Valentine's Day! Feel the love..." A dreamy look overcame Hideki.

Kako snorted. "I know what he's really thinking," she muttered, "and it's dirty thoughts about Rai. The pervert."

As he took a seat, Kouichi sighed. _And I thought Ogata was bad,_ he thought as he lay his head down. The boy stopped and stared at his desk, piled with small boxes and cards. _What...?_ He stared at the pile, an eyebrow raised. Shrugging, he tossed a box to Kouji. "Stop using my desk to hold stuff."

"Uh..." Kouji's gaze went from the box his brother. "Kouichi, this is for you. See? I already got mine." He showed his brother the small sticker on the box.

Slowly, the color drained from his face as he threw another box at his brother. "This one?" Kouichi asked.

"Yep."

Another. "This?"

"Yep."

Another.

"Yep."

Another.

"Yes."

"Kouichi, they're all yours," Kako muttered. "It happened to a _lot_ of people. Unfortunately, Kanaye got the most."

Kouichi turned completely pale. "So...all of these..."

"I got two less than you did," Kouji muttered in disappointment as he handed back the boxes.

Standing up, Kouichi shoved them back at Kouji. He muttered, utterly dazed, "Oh...holy...hell..."

"OH MY GOSH DID HE JUST SAY HELL?" Kako and Kouji yelled in horror.

"Shoot," Kouichi blurted and bolted out of the room.

"OH SHOOT!" Kouji exclaimed, rising to his feet. The entire class fell silent and turned their eyes in his direction. With a sigh, the boy sunk to his seat and muttered, "I forgot to tell him, 'Happy birthday...'"

Kako shook her head, a small smile creeping onto her lips. "Happy birthday, Kouji," she murmured.

The boy sighed. "What's so scary about chocolates? This would be a great present," he murmured, examining the chocolates.

Kako laughed. Shutting her eyes, she let out a sigh. _Happy birthday to you, too. Especially you_.

-------------------------------------

Kouichi shivered, hand tightly clutching his D-Tector. He didn't _intend_ or_ mean_ to do that, but...

He hated Valentine's Day.

And once more, what should have been considered the best day of the year was ruined by the evil holiday of love.

_I didn't even say 'Happy birthday' to Kouji. Great._ Kouichi sighed. Hideki _had_ said they could 'do whatever', and he had chosen not to stay in the classroom.

Too risky. _Besides,_ Kouichi thought with a smile as he dug into his pocket. _I can open her gift, now_.

For some reason, Kouichi's fingers began to tremble as he held Kako's gift. _Is it all that scary? Whatever_. He dismissed it merely as an after fright of the chocolates. _Hey, I think I found Kouji's birthday present_.Turning back to the present, he slowly undid the wrapping to reveal a small white box. Kouichi drew a breath and held it as he swiftly opened it.

A sigh.

He was confused again.

-------------------------------------

"You spent the _entire_ time in the _Nurse's office_?" Kouji scowled.

Kouichi shrugged and continued to walk quietly. "We need to get the drum set," he finally murmured.

"Who cares about the drum set?"

"Happy birthday."

"I don't care."

"Later, Kako."

Kako shook her head and grabbed both of the twins' arms. "You two," she snapped, "are getting on my nerves. For hell's sake-"

"Goodness," Kouichi corrected.

"_Hell's_," Kako growled, continuing, "It's your birthday. Stop being so-"

Kouichi's response was automatic, "Okay."

Kouji rolled his eyes. He turned away from the two grumpily. When Kako's grip on his arm tightened, he muttered, "Yes ma'am."

The girl sighed. "If Takuya was here, would you lose the bet?"

"SHUSH!" the younger twin snapped, turning to glare at her.

Suddenly, Kouichi let out a groan. "I feel old," he murmured.

Kouji grumbled, "Me too."

Kako burst out laughing. "And I feel way younger than both of you! Anyway, see you at the dance?"

Kouichi's eyes widened. Swallowing, he squeezed his eyes shut. "Oh...shoot..."

"DRUM SET!" Kouji screamed, racing off.

Opening his eyes, Kouichi waved weakly. "Right," he declared, "Dance. Bye!"

Kako watched the two race off, cluelessly waving at them. _Twins,_ she thought, heading home. _I'll never get them_.

-------------------------------------

"Ow! Shinya, watch it! If we _really_ scratch it, your brother will murder us! Junpei! CAREFUL!" Kouji bellowed, slapping his forehead furiously. He was annoyed. It _had_ to be _Takuya's_ drum set. Of _all_ people, _Takuya's._ Oh, and _Izumi_ had to announce. _God, what is he planning?_ Kouji let out an exasperated sigh and helped Tomoki. "Alright...careful...careful...great!"

The four boys sighed in relief as they managed to take apart the drum set and load it in the car without damaging any pieces.

Stretching, Tomoki waved. "Well, have fun at the dance, you two. Say 'Happy birthday' to Kouichi for me, will you?" he asked Kouji.

Kouji nodded and winced when Shinya began to bounce up and down, furiously yanking on his jacket sleeve.

"Me too, me too, me too!" the young Kanbara exclaimed. "No birthday is complete without a 'Happy birthday' from me!"

Junpei looked from the serious young boy to the obviously annoyed Kouji. "Uh, Shinya, it's Kouji's birthday, too, you know."

"Yeah, I know. But who cares? It's Kouichi's bi-...oops?" Shinya let out a sheepish laugh and ran behind Junpei.

Tomoki shook his head. "Shinya! Plan TI!"

"Right! Plan Tea Eye!"

"Yeah, Plan TI."

"No...um, I meant 'tea,' as in the stuff you drink, and 'eye,' as in a person's eye," Shinya corrected, pointing to his eye.

Tomoki twitched. "SHINYA..."

"Right! Let's go! Gotta get Takuya ready for the dance! So he can make out with Izumi!"

Junpei and Kouji exchanged horrified looks.

"You know," Junpei commented as they got in the car, "I'm _glad_ he isn't my brother. _So_, so glad."

Under his breath, Kouji muttered, "I hope...that kid doesn't turn out to be like him." _I hope he doesn't end up like Kouichi, either_, Kouji decided, eyes suddenly distant as he gazed out the window.

His life was starting all over again. It was as if he had never met Kouichi. But he had. This time...

It was really his father's fault.

Or maybe...it wasn't.

Kouji sighed and shut his eyes. _What would Lobomon say...?_

He had yet to find out.

-------------------------------------

Kouichi frowned at the suits his mother had laid out. Kouji would want a dark blue. That was done. He...

Kouichi didn't know what color he wanted and didn't care.

_Ah, whatever,_ he thought, looking to his right, where Duskmon and Lowemon were examining the suits along with him. "Which one should I wear?"

"THE PINK ONE!" Agunimon yelled.

Blitzmon groaned, "No, purple. The sky was purple!"

"I tell you, it was pink!"

"They're talking about the sunset last night," Lowemon muttered. "Dark green."

"IT WAS NOT DARK GREEN!" Agunimon and Blitzmon yelled together.

Duskmon began to glare.

The two unsuspecting digimon continued to argue.

"Erm, yes," Lowemon murmured, lowering his voice. "Dark green."

Agunimon whacked Lowemon upside the head. "I _told_ you! It _wasn't_ green!"

Lowemon stayed as he was and Agunimon took a few steps back, letting out a nervous laugh. Blitzmon followed Agunimon's actions as Duskmon turned around. The message was as obvious as the dark cloud that began to surround Duskmon.

"Duskmon! Opinion!" Kouichi called out.

The digimon stopped and looked back. "Dark green."

"Cool. Agunimon?"

"Dark...DARK RED! RED, RED, RED, RED!" he sang happily.

Blitzmon shook his head and muttered, "Dark green."

"Red!" Agunimon retorted.

"Whatever."

Kouichi shook his head and put away all but the two suits. _Gosh...darn...formals,_ he thought grumpily, storming to his room. He grabbed Marise's diary and sat on the bed with a sigh. For the second time, he opened the book and looked at the pocket in which the note was. He pulled it out, boredom overcoming him. The note was the same:

_Here is the key_, _now look through the bandanas_.

P.S. _It's not the bandanas_.

It was what was under the folded paper that surprised Kouichi. He didn't remember any fold. Confused, he unfolded the paper and read, "'_A key opens a lock et autre choses_.' What the...? French?" Shaking his head, he continued, "'_One's treasure is another's trash_. _Look carefully for the needle in the haystack_. _It may lay right in front of you, simply on the floor_.' On the floor? Well, what does the rest say? '_Two down, eight to go. Four down, six to go_. _Six down, two known, two to be found_. _The answer lays under your nose_, _on your hands_, _on your toes_.' Marise sure knows how to write riddles."

Shaking his head, Kouichi pulled out the key and the box that held the gift Kako had given him. He placed the key in the box, then pocketed the box.

"WE GOT IT!"

Kouichi headed out of his room, a small smile on his face. He nodded to Junpei and his brother. "Drum set, check. Suits, check. Takuya, check. Izumi, check. Junpei, check. How long do we have till it starts?" he asked Kouji.

"We should get ready now, actually," Junpei commented. "Meet you there?"

The twins nodded and said good-bye to the older boy as he left. Then, turning to his older twin, Kouji asked suspiciously, "What are you up to?"

-------------------------------------

Kako swallowed, looking to her brother desperately for help as she approached her father. "U-uh...D-dad?"

Mr. Sakai said nothing, merely looking over the papers in his hand.

Drawing a breath, Kako asked, "Could I go to the dance tonight?"

Turning to Hideki, he asked, "What type?"

"Formal, then informal," Hideki replied casually.

"No."

Her blood was boiling. She couldn't take it anymore. "Look. At. Me." Her father said nothing, but returned to his papers. "YOU'RE RIDICULOUS!" Kako yelled angrily, ripping the paper out of his hand. "WHAT KIND OF FATHER ARE YOU?"

Hideki stared at his sister in shock, shivering slightly. _This is her true evilness? Because if it is, I need to be super careful now,_ he thought, stepping back.

A glare appeared on Mr. Sakai's face and he turned to Kako and hissed, "Do you think I really care?"

"Well, that's disappointing. I'm sure Mom's just ecstatic to know she married a _freak_ like you!"

"Kako..." Hideki started, but decided against interfering. He wanted this as much as her, anyway.

Her father's eyes narrowed. "A _freak_? No, girl, that would be you. You...you and that fool she married earlier."

"H-HEY!" Hideki snapped, grabbing the man in front of him by the collar. "Do _not_ talk about that."

"No. Tell me," Kako insisted, recovering from the small shock that had been dealt to her. "Is that what you were hiding, Hideki?"

Hideki looked away, and Mr. Sakai smoothed his suit before snapping, "You're exactly like him. I find it hard to believe I didn't dump you off in some boarding school after your mother died. Of course, he would find out. Him...and your damned grandfather-"

"Shut _up_! GET TO THE DAMN POINT!" Kako screamed.

"Oh, and your mother...she wouldn't let go of you. Not like I had a second alone with her. Either you or your stupid brother would get in my way. I never got a chance to even have a word alone with her." He had a disgusted look on his face. "Filthy brats..."

"JUST TELL ME!"

"He's..." Hideki muttered, "not..."

A bitter laugh escaped Mr. Sakai. "Oh, go on, Hideki, tell her."

"Kako, he's not our father. Not yours, not mine. Never was, never can be."

Kako stood still before a small smile broke onto her face. "Then," she said softly, "what he says doesn't matter." She headed to her room.

"H-Hey! I still refuse to let you dance with the twerp!" Hideki yelled furiously.

"You aren't going," Mr. Sakai snapped.

Laughing, Kako shook her head and walked out, a small bag in hand. "I don't _need_ you to take me. I don't _need_ your permission! Get out of my life, goddammit! I'll see you later, Hideki!"

Hideki suddenly broke into a smile as well. "Life...is good. And you're out," he murmured, turning to Mr. Sakai. "Just wait until she really hears the truth."

_Then,_ Hideki thought, heading to his room, _I'll really be able to free her of this life_.

-------------------------------------

"Okay, forget the stupid masquerade. My attire's formal enough!" Kako muttered, jumping over a rock. "Formal for me. I mean, who needs the dress?"

She sighed, feeling a bit dumb. _I really shouldn't, but_...__

Drawing a breath, Kako shut her eyes and rang Izumi's doorbell.

-------------------------------------

Kouichi shut his locker, letting out a sigh. Everything was noisy. Alive. More so than a normal school day.

"Kouichi! I got Kako in a dress!" he heard Izumi squeal.

Out of conditioned reflex, Kouichi turned around, immediately wishing he hadn't. "Uh...h-hi," he stuttered, flushing red at the sight of the two girls due to self-consciousness.

Izumi's eyes widened. "Oh, you got a haircut!" she gasped. "Didn't notice that earlier. Anyway, happy birthday!"

"Izumi?" Kako muttered. "Where's my jacket?"

"Oh, you don't need it!"

"Izumi!"

"Wow," Kouji murmured, walking over, "what's this? Kako in a dress?"

Kouichi rolled his eyes and added, "Again. The third time Izumi's...well, I won't say forced."

Kako glared at his. Stepping up to him, she growled, "You think I went willingly?"

He shrugged. Pushing her back by Izumi, he allowed a smirk. "It's not very lady-like to growl. It's a _formal,_ remember?"

"Oh be quiet!" she snapped, turning red.

Kouji let out a laugh. He turned to Izumi, then his brother. A frown suddenly appeared. Turning to his brother, he asked, "Where's Naoko? And where's Takuya-er...I mean Junpei?"

Naoko walked over, clinging onto Kouichi's arm. "Right here!" she announced with a smile. "Oh...wow, Kako, you look sooo cute! It's like my little sister, only a few years older!"

Kako folded her arms and glared at Izumi. "What am I?" she asked grumpily, "Your dress-up doll?"

Clapping, Izumi nodded. She added with a smile, "But don't feel so sad! You're the only one I do this to!" The girl began to laugh as Kako angrily began to attempt to stomp on the snickering Kouichi's foot.

"Hey! Junpei!" Kouji called out, waving to the older boy. "Get over here!"

Junpei ran over, nearly tripping in the process. Catching himself barely in time, he straightened himself up and walked over to Kouji. He paused, then walked over to Izumi and grabbed her hand. The boy drew a breath and murmured, "In the place of Takuya, I'll do my best, dear Izumi!"

Puzzled, Izumi stood there, blinking for several seconds before pushing him away. "Sorry, Junpei. But...I'll save a dance for you!" she promised with a smile.

Junpei smiled, this time sincerely. "Hey, we'll get him back."

"Which is why we're _doing_ this," Kouichi snapped. "If any of you screw up in _any_ way, I'll personally _murder_ you by letting Duskmon possess me."

"Uh...who's Duskmon?" Naoko asked.

"Doesn't matter. We all know Takuya loves his drum set more than a lot he owns and has in his life. Now, _after_ the song, Izumi will say some...well chosen words and something like, 'hope you have a fun time.' No...no wait..."

Everyone gazed at Kouichi, whose mind was floating all over the place. Finally, he asked, "Izumi, would you prefer Takuya come back before or after the song?"

"B-before?" she sputtered.

"Then this is how we do it. Wait...Kouji, when are we up?"

Kouji grinned and replied, "After the masquerade! Well, we're the end of the masquerade."

"Good." It began to fit into place. Kouichi smiled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Alright, Izumi, while you're announcing that we're up, the curtains will be drawn up. Junpei, play the drum completely off. If _I_ have to play it...it just has to be played incorrectly, okay? That simple. Do it while Izumi's talking. Izumi, take your time announcing. Kouji, you don't need to do anything except stand there and look cool. And the rest will fall into place," he finished confidently.

"Cool. And that will get T-oh," Kako said, realizing what Kouichi was up to. "Cool."

"And now go get your masks," Kouji snapped.

Kouichi sighed. "Do I have to?" he grumbled.

"YES. TO THE BALLROOM!"

_This...stinks_. Kouichi allowed Naoko to drag him to the ballroom.

-------------------------------------

The 'ballroom,' as Kouji had put it, was merely a large unused building that had never been used except for dances such as these. As soon as they received their masks, Kouichi had managed to use the mask to his advantage. After a few minutes of keeping it on and weaving in and out of the crowd, he had managed to lose everyone. With a sigh, he took a seat in a nearby chair by the punch bowl. The mask was off for the first time in minutes

_Don't drink it. It's pure alcohol,_ Lowemon grumbled. Kouichi found him hiding behind a plant with Duskmon.

_Wasn't going to,_ Kouichi thought back, pulling out his water bottle with a grin. _I love this suit. So many pockets_...

He could tell Duskmon wanted to say something, but Kouichi never got a chance to hear. Putting away his water bottle, he put on the mask as someone walked over to him. Almost immediately, he slipped it off. "Izumi!" he murmured in surprise. "Find Takuya, yet?"

Izumi smiled sadly and shook her head. She sighed as she took a seat in the chair beside him. "Maybe, just maybe," she whispered, "he'll find me. It's a long shot, but..."

"Yeah...I see what you mean."

"Are you going to dance with Kako?"

"N-no!"

"Kouichi, are you going to dance with Naoko?"

"No," he replied, relaxing a bit.

Izumi shook her head in exasperation. Turning to him, she muttered, "You know, I _know_ you like Kako, okay? You've already confessed to me! Now, I _want_ you to dance with her! When it gets to the point where they announce that all boys need to put on their mask, put yours on and _dance with her_, got it? Because if you don't..."

Kouichi didn't need to hear her threat to know she would carry it out. Stark white, he nodded and stood up, pulling his mask and weaving through the crowd again. Kouichi made sure to take his time. It would be forever before they announced for all the boys to...

"OKAY!" Kouji yelled into the microphone, "ALL BOYS, MASKS ON NOW!"

Kouichi's blood ran cold. _Izumi made him_, he thought glumly. Frantically, the boy began to search for any sign of Kako, any glimpse whatsoever.

...He didn't even remember what dress she was wearing.

_Hopeless. I'm hopeless,_ he panicked, pushing through the thickening crowd. "K-...Kako!" he yelled, grabbing her hand when he caught sight of her.

Kako turned to him, eyes wide. "E-eh? What-?"

"Sorry, I'm going to have to borrow you," he murmured, grabbing hold of her other hand. "If I happen to step on your foot, sorry. I can't dance."

She sent Kouichi a confused glance. With a sigh, she asked, "Who are you?"

Kouichi nearly fell over. _I guess I'm not the only forgetful one...? Can't she recognize my voice?_ He shook his head and murmured dismissively, "It doesn't matter. Do you mind if I steal you from Kouji a bit?"

"Nope. He's busy, anyway. I was heading for the drinks..."

"Don't. Their pure alcohol," he told her, remembering Duskmon's warning.

"Oh, great," she snapped sarcastically. "Typical. Wonder what idiot did that."

He chuckled. "So," Kouichi murmured softly as they began to dance. In the back of his mind, he wished Izumi hadn't threatened him, but he was grateful it was a slow dance. _Considering I can't dance, I'm pretty lucky,_ he thought as he suddenly asked, "Hm...Hey, Kako, you like Kouji, don't you?"

She looked at him in surprise before nodding softly. "Kouji...I...didn't really like him before. And...well, now he's more of an older brother to me than anything. But...I don't know," she confessed.

The two danced quietly for a while longer before Kako murmured, "Today's a funny day, you know."

"Is it?"

"Kouji and Kouichi's birthday, Valentine's Day, I found out my dad isn't my real dad, I'm actually wearing a dress, I'm going to break up with Kouji," she listed. "I forgot. I don't think I ever said 'Happy birthday' to Kouichi."

Kouichi resisted the urge to pull away. Izumi's throat lingering in his mind, he scanned the room for his twin. "Well," he finally said, "How about we head to the refreshment area? I think I saw Kouji heading that way..."

She nodded in agreement. As soon as they stepped out of the crowd, Kouichi pushed Kako into his brother, then disappeared back into the swarm of people. Kako whirled around and frowned when she saw he was missing. Turning back to Kouji, she knocked the cup out of his hand. "Don't," she advised. "It's pure alcohol."

-------------------------------------

Izumi smiled as Junpei pulled down his mask and led her to the dance floor. She felt so bad, doing this to him, yet he acting like such a gentleman. _Takuya,_ she thought, shutting her eyes, _he wouldn't get angry, would he?_

"Excuse me," a voice cut in.

Izumi opened her eyes and found a boy holding out his hand. "Miss?" he asked. "Would you mind?"

Blushing, she turned to Junpei. "Uh..."

But Junpei merely pushed her towards him, murmuring in her ear before he left, "Have fun."

Trembling, Izumi placed her hand in his. The two were quiet until the boy whispered, "Izumi...I'm sorry. Meet me outside after the dance, will you?"

Her eyes widened with fright. She tried to pull away, but he merely held her closer. "T-Takuya," she murmured, shutting her eyes once more. "Please, just...don't go..."

"Sorry, he'll know."

"No, please...I...I don't want to do this!"

Leaning forward, Takuya kissed her cheek, then smiled. "Hey," he told her, "it'll all be fine. You'll see. As usual, I have no idea how, but it'll work itself out, okay? _Promise_ you'll be careful, though. I don't want him...doing any funny stuff. Got it?"

"Right!"

As soon as the dance ended, they heard Kouji announce, "Alright, girls, masks on and boys masks off. This is the _last_ dance! Pick well!"

Izumi pulled down her mask and pushed Takuya's off. He gazed at her in surprise as she wrapped her arms around his neck and murmured, "One last dance...okay?"

-------------------------------------

"Kouichi!" Kouji snapped, dragging his brother out of the crowd.

Kouichi took off his mask and threw it behind him. "What?"

Suddenly, his brother gave him a suspicious look. "Hey..."

"Hey...?"

"Never mind! We need to set up! Where's Junpei? And Izumi?"

"Izumi's dancing with one lucky guy," Junpei announced happily, walking up to the twins. "Gah, they look so cute together..."

The older twin smiled and shook his head. He let out a sigh and muttered, "Cool. But we need to make it permanent. So...you two set up, I'll find Izumi and meet with you in at least five minutes."

"Right!" Kouji agreed.

Kouichi took a breath and dove into the mass of people again, wishing he hadn't thrown off his mask.

-------------------------------------

Kako wandered around aimlessly, nothing to do in mind. She didn't feel like dancing. Izumi wasn't anywhere in sight, Kouji was off preparing, and...

_Is that Kouichi?_ Frowning, she walked up to the boy and grabbed a hold of his arm. "Hey!"

Kouichi whirled around in shock, nearly falling backwards. "Wh-uh...hi!" he sputtered, looking around and suddenly flushing red.

Confused, Kako stared at him. She let out a sigh and grabbed his hands. "So," she said slowly, "you owe me."

"I _what_?"

"Oh, come on! Play along! Or can you not dance?"

Turning red, Kouichi mumbled, "Actually...I can't."

She hit his arm. Furiously, she snapped, "Yes you can! Don't lie to me!" Softer, she added, "You can do pretty much anything..."

"Kako..." Kouichi frowned as she stared at the ground, seeming utterly depressed. _What do I do? Dance? I need to find Izumi._ But for some reason, he couldn't resist. _Second time, Kouichi,_ his mind growled, _Second time._ Nodding, he took her hands. "I owe you. Fine."

A smile lit up Kako's face. "Thanks. Kouichi...um..."

"Yeah?"

"Er...what were you doing?" Kako asked, mentally kicking herself. _God, just say it._

Kouichi tilted his head. He pushed down Kako's mask and then sighed, "I _was_ looking for Izumi, but now that I think about it...I don't think she wants to be bothered. So I'll go look for her later, I guess. In a minute or so..."

"She's over there."

"What?"

Kako pushed him away and pointed over to Izumi. "You're busy, huh? Sorry," she murmured in apology.

"Huh? O-oh...I wasn't all that busy-"

He tried to reassure her, but Kako was adamant. With a push, she hissed, "Get going, idiot."

Flashing an apologetic smile, Kouichi ran to get Izumi. Kako sighed and scratched the back of her head. _Hideki must've really cut his hair...the idiot. That's the haircut I like_...

-------------------------------------

"Okay, ready?" Kouichi murmured. "Change of plans. Too risky to do this at the beginning. We'll wait for the end. That okay, Izumi?"

Izumi gave him a smile and nodded.

Kouji wiped away a fake tear. Turning to Junpei, he nodded and said loudly, "You're right, Junpei. So cute."

Angrily, Izumi whacked his shoulder. Kouji yelped. "So, Kouichi, I just have to give an improvised talk at the end?" the girl asked for a confirmation.

"Yep. That's pretty much it."

"Then let's go!"

"Junpei, abuse the drum set in the end. Not so you do serious damage, though."

Junpei nodded, "Right!"

Handing the microphone to his brother, Kouji whispered, "Sing well. I have to lip sync, dammit."

Kouichi nodded and turned to Izumi, nodding to signal her to start.

The curtains rose.

Making sure he was completely backstage, Kouichi drew a breath. His heart beat wildly, faster with every word Izumi said. The seconds ticked by.

He was backstage. He was still afraid.

Kouichi drew another breath, letting it out slower than the last. It was starting. He inhaled and began to sing.

-------------------------------------

Kako sighed as she watched Kouichi leave. _God, I'm bored_, she realized, deciding to follow him. At least _that_ way she was amused no matter what. _Stupid haircut...why do I have to be so amused?_ Grumpily, she stopped at the entrance to the stage, confused.

It hit her. _HOW DID I FORGET?_ She wanted to scream. Drawing a breath, she opened the door and walked up the stairs, listening to Kouichi's voice.

'_Kizuite ita nda Mou nido to tobenai tte koto o_  
_Wakatte iru no sa Oreta tsubasa ja tobenai tte koto o_  
_Dare ka ga naiteta _"_Yume ga sugata o kaete yuku yo_"  
_Dare ka ga akirameta ai wa mou, doko ka e kieta_'

'_Woo_, _oreta tsubasa de_  
_Woo_, _with broken wings_'

Eyes widening, she took a few steps closer.

'_Dakishimeru dake ja furue wa tomaranakute_  
_Ano koro no samusa wa kitto konna mon ja nakatta_'

'_Woo_, _oreta tsubasa de_  
_Woo_, _with broken wings_'

'"_Kubiwa no nai norainu ga ore no koto waratteru_..."'

'_Itsu no ma ni ka ore wa mainichi ni obiehajime  
Yami no naka de mogaku Hikari o motome  
Kawaru keshiki no naka, nani ka o machitsuzuketeru  
Ugoku sekai no naka, hontou no kotae o sagashiteru_'

'_Woo_, _oreta tsubasa de_  
_Woo_, _with broken wings_'

'_Kago no naka no tori ga_ "_Soto e dashite_!" _to wamekidasu_  
"_Kubiwa no nai norainu ga ore no koto waratteru..._"'

Kako nearly fell over as he laughed. _...that...wasn't...Kouichi-ish,_ she thought, swallowing.

'..._Ah, tonde miseru_  
..._Ah, oreta tsubasa de_  
..._Ah, tonde miseru_  
..._Ah, oreta tsubasa de_'

'..._with broken wings_'

Kako swallowed as he finished, a blush rising to her cheeks. Shaking her head, she turned to leave and knocked over a soda can that had been placed on the steps.

Kouichi whirled around, eyes wide with horror. Catching sight of her, he winced. "Uh...K-Kako..." he murmured uncomfortably.

Laughing nervously, she turned and waved to him. "H-hey..."

_How awkward can this get?_ Kouichi thought, gulping. _Please let this have worked out for Izumi at the least_..._  
_  
-------------------------------------

Izumi forced a smile as she took the microphone from Kouji and announced, "And there you have it! A stunning performance by your very own Kouji Minamoto and Junpei Shibayama. They would like to thank the following people; Kouichi Kimura, T-"

Before she could finish, Junpei hit a cymbal, causing it to crash to the floor. A yelp was emitted from the audience and Takuya jumped onto the stage, pushing Junpei away as he examined his drum set. Izumi stood there, dazed.

"Curtains!" Kouji hissed.

The curtains fell immediately, and Izumi could practically hear her heart beat. Takuya was groaning as he picked up the cymbal and put it back. She could hear an impatient sigh. Turning off the microphone, she whirled around and handed it to Kouji, who went outside to announce the end of the masquerade. "Takuya," she whispered.

Takuya winced, squeezing his eyes shut. He was kneeled in front of his drum set, checking for any sign of damage yet again. Junpei chuckled and yanked the boy to his feet, pushing him over to Izumi. With a smile, the older boy murmured, "Open your eyes, goggle head."

Ignoring her tears, Izumi threw her arms around Takuya, laughing with him for what seemed like the first time in ages.

-------------------------------------

A/N-_  
_  
WOOOOW! Their school is rich! BALLROOM! ...well, more like...UNUSED ROOM!

...and...yes, there's going to be another chapter. I lied, sorry. AND WE'LL BE DONE! HAHAHAH...

...() Stinky Izumi and Takuya get-back-together scene. I could have made it better! Sorry.

One more chapter, then the second part. .:squeals in excitement:. I can't wait!

This has been so much fun, believe me. There's nothing more fun than not doing homework and writing fanfics, then later bsing homework at school. Although, the homework part is hectic, but hey! I lived, right?

(That remains to be seen, actually.)

I'll be back TUESDAY! As to whether it'll be day or night, I don't know. I'll attempt writing up the stuff. Actually, no. I'll let you pick. Choices will be given next chapter.

Merry Christmas!

Review or Flame.


	40. A New End And A New Beginning

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon. This is the last time in the story I'll have to state it.

A/N-This...I shall dedicate to you both, Charlie and Kevin. An end is always a beginning. Also, a big thank you to all my readers, reviewers, and friends who have aided me in creating this story in any way: Pekkle, Ishy, especially, and anyone else.

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An New End And A New Beginning

-------------------------------------

Kako whirled around and ran off. Letting out a sigh, Kouichi leaned against the wall and made sure he turned off the microphone.

He heard Kouji announce the end of the masquerade and the beginning of the actual dance. Digging into his pocket, Kouichi walked over to where Takuya and Izumi were and tossed the once-was goggle head his goggles and his D-Tector.

Takuya caught it out of surprise, pushing Izumi away first. "W-wait...what?" he stuttered.

Kouichi smiled. Walking over to Takuya, he whacked the boy on the head. "Don't," he snapped, "ever make us worry like that again." Hitting Takuya's head again, he added, "And I _don't_ want to hear Agunimon at my house again unless it's an emergency. You've got your D-Tector now. Use it."

An understanding smile formed on Takuya's lips. Laughing, he nodded and murmured, "Will do, Kouichi. What are you going to do now?"

The birthday boy shrugged. "I think I'll go bug Kouji and petition to go home. Do I have your votes?" he asked the couple.

"NO," Izumi and Takuya snapped in unison.

"Besides," Izumi added sweetly, "you still have that one job I gave you..."

A glum look appeared on Kouichi's face. He began to whine, "But Izumi, I did...twice!"

Takuya grinned and slipped his goggles onto his head. "So take it a step further."

There was silence. Shaking his head, Kouichi muttered, "...you all disgust me."

"Glad to be of service again!" announced the goggle boy.

"I'm gonna go change now. Should you three as well?"

Junpei nodded. "Alright, alright," he muttered, dragging a protesting Takuya by the ear. "No peeking, Takuya! We leave Izumi alone from here!"

Izumi and Kouichi withheld their laughter as they followed the two for a while before going separate ways to their locker.

-------------------------------------

Kako let out a sigh. "Kouji," she murmured, looking up.

The two fell silent, gazing at each other. Kouji stepped towards her. Kako looked at her feet. "Kouji," she murmured again. "W-we..."

Swiftly, he pinned her to the wall, claiming her lips. Caught by surprise, Kako did nothing. When she finally came to her senses, still, she could do nothing.

"Hey, Kouji."

Kouji pulled away to find his brother staring at him, eyebrow raised. "What?" he muttered, suddenly annoyed.

Knowing he was treading dangerous waters, Kouichi threw the bag at his brother and headed off. _I'll...catch him when he isn't so...so busy,_ he decided, scared for his health.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Kouji was about to head off when Kako grabbed his arm. He brushed her hand off, only to find his other arm had been taken hostage as well. The boy scowled, "Let go of my hands!"

Kako exhaled a shaky breath and mustered her courage. "No," she murmured quietly.

"Kako, we'll talk later."

"No, we won't! And you know it! What is your problem, Kouji?" Kako cried angrily, pushing him back. "You keep doing this to me! First, you say we're going out just to make him jealous! And then...you...I don't understand," she murmured helplessly. "Please, help me understand."

Kouji pressed his lips against hers one last time, this time, softer. A second later, he bowed his head. "If...he ever hurts you," whispered the bandana boy, "tell me. Because I don't plan on letting him get away with it. And wait one second." He yanked off his bandana and grabbed her hand, placing the cloth in it. "I'll see you around often, I'm sure."

Dazed, Kako watched as he walked off. She trembled, well aware that the guilt would eat her up if she wasn't careful. Kouji turned around and Kako nearly jumped. Smiling, he added, "Hey, if he rejects you...you wouldn't mind hanging around me a little longer, would you?" In response, Kako reddened and shook her head. "Later, Kako," he whispered.

"Kouji..." The name seemed almost foreign. Swallowing, she ran to her locker to get her change of clothes.

-------------------------------------

Kouichi threw the suit into his locker, slamming it shut and locking it. A sigh escaped his lips as he headed back to the 'ballroom.'

_Ninety-nine bottles of milk on the wall,_ his mind sang as he stared at the punch and absentmindedly adjusted the sleeve of his jacket. _Ninety-nine bottles of_ _a type of liquid that makes your bones stronger due to the calcium it contains_, he thought. He shook his head and took a seat, bored out of his mind.

"Kouichi!" he heard Naoko call out.

Wincing, he wish he had a mask to hide behind. _Under the table? Behind the plant? BEHIND THE CHAIR?_ He mentally panicked as she approached him.

"Want to dance?" she asked, smiling.

He began to stutter, "I...er...um, see, thing is..." _I'm a complete idiot. Does that work?_

"He can't dance."

Kouichi turned to his savior. Kako stood behind Naoko, changed into her normal clothes. "Of all the things he can do," she continued, "he can't dance. Pretty pathetic, if you ask me."

Naoko let out a disappointed sigh, "Oh...that's too bad. Well, I think I see Fujita. He was pretty mad at me for not going with him." She laughed, "But anyway, I'll catch you two later!"

"Is she going out with Fujita?" Kouichi asked Kako as she sat down.

Kako nodded. "So, naturally, he going super annoyed when he found out you were going to take her to the dance. And that's why everyone was surprised."

He let out a quiet, "Oh," and began to examine his shoes. But Kako's presence distracted him. "Kako," he murmured, "aren't you and Kouji going to-"

"No."

"What...?"

"We...broke up."

_She...was serious?_ Kouichi was surprised. He had thought she was joking when she told him that while they danced the first time. Words flew out of his mouth before he had a chance to think. "But why? I thought you two-"

"Don't you _get_ it?" she snapped in turn, glaring at him angrily. "How dense are you?"

Kouichi was truly confused. '_How dense are you?_' Duskmon had asked him that before. Rubbing his forehead, he murmured, "In these matters, completely." He turned to Kako. "So...why?" he asked softly.

"Give. Me. A. Break," she growled, standing up. "YOU'RE AN IDIOT!"

"Kanaye?" Izumi muttered disgustedly as she walked over to her cousin, brushing her arms off. "Yeah, he is. God, that bastard...what does he care about my family life?" She exhaled sharply and turned to Kouichi. "Is Takuya here?"

Kouichi shook his head and pointed into the crowd. "I saw him about five seconds ago. I think he was heading after you."

A smile appeared on the girl's face. She winked at him and murmured, "Good luck." Then Izumi disappeared back into the crowd.

The boy turned to Kako, a hopeful look on his face. In turn, she shook her head and followed her cousin.

And that's when Kouichi realized what he _could_ do. A smirk formed. _I'm going in_...

-------------------------------------

Kako blindly stumbled through the crowd. She didn't bother to retaliate when her hand was grabbed. Instead, a furious glare found its way to her face. "Let. Me. Go."

She found herself pulled close to Kanaye. _If Hideki were here_, she thought. But he wasn't. "I'm _not_ in the mood, Kanaye. Let. GO," she growled.

There was a smirk on Kanaye's face. He pushed away her bangs and sneered, "Why? What fun would that be? You have what I want...after all..."

_Izumi...didn't...no!_ Kako let out a strangled cry, trying to pull away from him. "Leave me alone!" she screamed above the noise and music.

"No..." His grip was tight. As soon as she felt his breath, Kako's eyes widened. "You see, Kako," he continued, pulling her closer, "I always get what I want..."

Her hand was released. Kako caught a glimpse of Kouji. "Not this time..." he muttered, grabbing Kanaye by the lapels. "Don't you know what they do to creeps like you?"

Not knowing what to do, Kako did the first thing that came to mind. She stood there, as if in a trance, until her brain began to function. Kouji's eyes seemed so distant. He didn't see her, didn't bother to recognize her or acknowledge her.

Kako ran.

-------------------------------------

It took Kouichi at least fifteen minutes to pick the lock of the principal's office, then fifteen more minutes to find the key to Ogata's room.

Sadly, it was right under his nose. On the desk. Again. It was as if Mr. Aizawa knew what he was up to.

Again.

But he didn't complain. Quietly, he shut the door and made his way for Ogata's room.

The door was wide open.

Kouichi stared at the key in his hand, fighting the urge to scream. Instead, he dropped it on the ground and headed straight for Ogata's computer, not bothering to turn on the lights. Just as he was about to turn the computer on, Kouichi heard a sniffle.

He froze.

Another sniffle.

"Uh...h-hello...?" he called out awkwardly.

"Go away..."

"Kako? What are you doing here?" he muttered, walking over to her. He found her sitting in her regular seat, hugging her knees. Receiving no answer, he decided to try again, "Kako...?"

A split second later, the door slammed shut and they were stuck in the dark. Kako jumped to her feet. "Wh-what...?"

Kouichi frowned and stumbled over to the door, nearly tripping over a desk or two. He tried the door, but it refused to budge. With a sigh, he announced, "It's locked."

"N-no but-"

"It's locked," he repeated firmly, trying the door again.

Kako let out a moan and sank to the floor. "This can't be happening..."

"Sorry, it is."

"No..."

"Kako."

"What?"

"Why were you crying?"

"I wasn't!" she snapped in defense, scooting up against the wall. Under her breath, she muttered, "Damn, it's cold. Can the lights turn on?"

He tried the lights, but nothing happened. Kouichi sighed and decided to make a conversation, "Is it?" He walked over to her, but she scooted away. In surprise, he stepped back. "Okay, I'll go on that side of the room?" suggested the boy.

She nodded furiously to affirm.

The even furtherly baffled Kouichi took a seat on the opposite side of the room, gazing at Kako, who glared in return. _Duskmon, can you get us out?_ He didn't expect an answer, but he did.

_Nope,_ Duskmon replied, _I don't want to._

He tensed up. _Lowemon..._

_I have to agree,_ the second digimon confessed.

"Now of all times," Kouichi muttered with a sigh. _Well, might as well find out._ He drew a breath and asked, "Kako, do you hate me?" Kako remained silent and he continued, "I didn't do anything, did I? Or did I? I'm confused. We seemed...close, I suppose you could say, and then after your birthday...I didn't mean for that to ruin our relationship. If it did, I'm sorry. I-"

"Listen to yourself," she muttered. There was a slight hint of disgust in her voice. "Listen, Kouichi. Just listen. Have you heard yourself talk? Even once? How could I _hate_ you? I couldn't even push you away..." Kako let out a bitter laugh.

"Kako...then..."

"I was happy. But it wouldn't work. I understand..." She inhaled slowly. "I understand why Rai's relationship with Hideki would never work. I don't know my real father. It's that reason. That fear...that...one would leave the other. I was happy, but I was afraid."

Kouichi remained silent. Kako's eyes pierced through the darkness to meet his. "Aren't you going to say I'm stupid?" she questioned. When he shook his head, she laughed again, "Yeah, that was aproblem, too. I didn't want to use you." Kako stood up and walked over to him. "You're too nice for your own good. I told you that, right? You're too innocent. You're too naive. You're just...plain...DENSE!" As she yelled the last word, Kako attempted to kick him.

He rolled over and stood up with a sigh, thankful for Mr. Saito's lessons. "Kako, try making some _sense_ for once," he advised in turn.

"NO! IT'S OBVIOUS, KOUICHI!" she yelled, clenching her hand into a fist and throwing at him. Kouichi caught it out of surprise. "Why...why can't you just see?" she cried softly, weakly attempting to hit him with her other hand. "Why...?"

Swallowing, Kouichi dropped her hands and allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder. "Kako," he whispered, "It's kind of...hard...to tell. I don't want to assume. 'Assumptions can lead to the wrong conclusions. To avoid heartbreak, don't assume.' That was on the proverb list. I'm not sure if it was a good one, but I've had enough regrets for ten lifetimes. Kako, Duskmon was enough to prove I'm human. I hurt Kouji. And when I think about that, I want to atone..." He swallowed.

"Kako...I wouldn't care what you did, so long as you didn't get hurt. Kouji wouldn't hurt you. If he did, well...Hideki and I would bug him endlessly. He didn't, did he? And later on, I realized I was jealous. How could I make up for all the hurt I had dealt to him if I was jealous?"

Kako shook her head, stepping closer to Kouichi. "I...lost myself," she whispered. "But...you still won't see. What do I do to make you see?"

He pushed her away. "First," he advised, "Stop crying." Kako blinked as he wiped away her tears with the sleeve of his jacket. "Second, what happened between you and Kouji."

"We broke up. Well...we weren't ever together."

Kouichi winced. _Guy one and two and girl one and two have confused themselves up,_ he realized, remembering Kouji's earlier explanation. "So...I was 'too dense' to realize you were going out with him to make me jealous, hm?"

"That sums it up," she mumbled.

"I wasn't."

"You weren't?"

"No. Not really."

Frowning, Kako repeated in disbelief, "You weren't?"

"Nope. Takuya, Junpei and Izumi were too obvious that day. Plus, you two never did anything together very...willingly. Your feelings seemed forced," Kouichi replied, sitting down.

Kako took a seat beside him. "Then why...?"

"Because. Kouji loved you."

Silence fell between them. The tears began to flow back into Kako's eyes.

Kouichi sighed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling Kako towards him. "Listen, okay? And stop crying. Remember your birthday gift? You never opened it, did you?"

"N-no...it's in my locker right now," she cried, sobbing harder. Kouichi let go of her in surprise as she pushed away. "I'm not done yelling yet!"

"W-wait, Kako-"

"No! I...I didn't accept for a reason, okay...? Did you open up the present _I_ gave you?"

"Yeah..."

"IDIOT! Okay, well...um...that's why."

"The locket...?"

She sighed and whacked him on the head. "Kouichi...I...first off, happy birthday," murmured Kako, quickly kissing his cheek. "And...I...had to get rid of it. Or Kanaye would have...and...I didn't really trust..."

"One matter at a time, please."

"IS IT SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND, IDIOT?" she suddenly yelled, slapping him. "I love you, okay?"

_That...stung. And not the words_, Kouichi thought as tears came into his eyes from the painful hit. "U-uh...you hit hard," he muttered, rubbing his cheek. "Kako?"

"WHAT?"

He smiled. Leaning forward, he kissed her softly, then murmured, "Love you, too, sadly enough."

Trembling, Kako ignored the tears that began to flow. "If I had…well, accepted to be in a relationship with you at all, it would have been disastrous."

"How?" The boy frowned. _She didn't even whack me for the joke_.

Kako shook her head. "It's complex…"

A smile lit up Kouichi's face as he joked, "Well we have plenty of time."

"True…"

_She didn't laugh…_"So tell me."

"Okay."

Kouichi laughed for a second. "Wow, suddenly I feel weird again. Like…older than old…"

Kako hit his arm. "Now shut up, because I have to tell you something important," she whispered, grabbing a hold of his arm. "See, it began...four years ago, pretty much..."

-------------------------------------

"Have they made up, yet?"

"Yes, my lady," Lowemon murmured, kneeling down.

A sigh. "That's good. Don't let them out yet, though. Wait until the dance is over. How's his brother?"

Duskmon snorted and muttered, "Dead drunk."

"Oh...I see."

"Will you be sending anyone's D-Tector soon?"

"No."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Duskmon, you'll get your fun soon enough." The lady continued, amused, "But Kouichi needs his fractal code."

"Right."

"So we wait."

Duskmon grumbled. All they did was wait.

But all they _could_ do was wait.

-------------------------------------

A/N-

If this chapter is a disappointment, I am sorry. Explanation...well, brain malfunctioned. If you've read _Kare Kano_, it's like volume eight. Nothing seemed to be coming together at the right moment. I hope you like it.

Merry Christmas! Do you like your gift? Three whole chapters (sorry this one is short)! Man, they took forever, especially this one (even if it's short)! Sheez, when you barely have time...or the good computer you need...And your brain has malfunctioned…

Now, your New Years gift awaits! Pick a story! Pick a story! ...and there's key words describing the story, too.

**STORIES TO CHOOSE FROM (these are the two I have a solid, stable idea on)-**  
-_Cursed Gifts_-Kouichi, major depression, a whole new battle with new enemies and...new stuff.  
-_Not The Bandanas 3_-_Revenge of the Digimon_-The gang. New people. Old people. Digimon. D-Tectors. Evil. FIGHTS! Digivolving! Continuing this story!

We aren't done yet! YOUR CHRISTMAS PRESENT IS INCOMPLETE! GO TO THE NEXT CHAPTER ALREADY!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Review or Flame!


	41. BONUS CHAPTER: Kouji's Special

Disclaimer- THIS is the last time. I don't own Digimon.

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Kouji's (our actual) Christmas, (his actual) Valentine's, (his made-up) Birthday special

----------------------------------------

Ah…Christmas.

Wrong holiday.

Oh, who cares? I'm drunk, anyway.

Ah, Christmas. Or Valentine's Day.

Christmas _is_ a better example…

My head won't stop arguing with itself. Excuse me while I go arrange my thoughts. (This is the bad part about being drunk…)

I am Kouji. My last name? Minamoto. I am now fifteen. I am…oh, yeah, a twin. My twin is…Kouichi Kimura. What else? Oh yeah! I'm drunk.

Kako warned me, but hey, after beating up a guy (not really), you feel guilty. And once you realize your brother'll soon be the happiest birthday boy in the world, you wanna celebrate. So why not get drunk when you can? (Although, Mom _will_ throw a fit.)

Maybe getting drunk isn't the way out? Oops? I guess they didn't prepare me well enough in grade school…

It's over.

So I'll celebrate. It's finally over.

After months of planning, plotting, my master plan is complete. I got my revenge. What was it? You wouldn't understand, probably. I confused myself in the process. I confused myself a lot.

So what was it? Well, other than making Kouichi seem like a dense, innocent, naïve (etc.) boy. I took away what he really loved and fell in love myself (but that proves my idiocy.). I showed him jealousy and regret. I proved he wasn't perfect.

So, as I lift the who-knows-what-number glass of pure alcohol to my lips, I toast my great achievements. Operation: 'Kouji's Revenge' has successfully been completed.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Ah…yeah, and Kaea (dragonsunlight evil author who makes me OOC) wishes you happy holidays to come!

May your presents be…

KOUJI-RIFFIC! …no? Or at _least_ digi-mazing. Digirific? I give up.

I hope your presents aren't jokes, like my present to Kouichi. Heheh…he'll murder me…

Merry Christmas, everyone.

It's 'Minna no Christmas' from here.

Darn. I wish it were Christmas instead of Valentine's Day. Why didn't you make it Christmas, Kaea?

…she's not listening to me.

Maybe because I'm drunk?

Oh, come on, like that's a _bad_ thing?

…HUSH! I KNOW IT'S BAD! I REALLY DO! I'm just…either joyfully happy or really annoyed. I can't tell. Too drunk.

Why'd I have to get drunk?

**-END-**

_Not The Bandanas 2_:_ Kouji's Revenge_-

**Status**: _Complete_.

**Sequel**: _Ready to be written_.

A/N-

-----It's still my turn! Kouji Minamoto refuses to give up!

Kouji's Note-

Review or Flame!

What else do I say? Oh, yes, do pick one of the stories from the last chapter that she listed in the A/N.

…and there's nothing more to say. Months of hard work, my plan is complete, her plan still goes! .:laughing evilly:. Serves her right! Man, I wish I was the third part. But _no_, I'm the _second_. Oh, whatever. You _know_ you want the third part. THIRD PART MEANS MORE ME! Actually…either story means more me. And I happen to be _sane_ in both of those stories, too! Isn't it great?

Keeping that in mind, Review or Flame. Pick a story.

Enjoy your holidays.

You better have enjoyed your present at the least.


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